![\"Community](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SHARING2_b6dbec.jpg\")
Community members like Geronimo take their jobs seriously. With traffic backed up on a side street for over a quarter of a mile, it takes dedication and commitment to make sure the public is efficiently and safely provided with food. (Carole Brodsky \u2014 Fort Bragg Advocate-News)<\/p>\n
The line of cars- more than 100- stretches for two long blocks to the entrance of the Mendo Food Network.<\/p>\n
Today is a \u201cpop-up\u201d food distribution day- a monthly event that is looked forward to by hundreds of community members.<\/p>\n
This pop-up is staffed and managed by a group of about 10 volunteers and MFN staff. Volunteers arrive each month to help distribute the thousands of pounds of food to folks needing supplemental food.<\/p>\n
The air has a distinct, wintry bite, and the pallets of food are stacked on the shady side of the building. But there is no complaining from the volunteers; a palpable feeling of camaraderie and fellowship permeates the chilly morning. The clock strikes 10, and the first four cars are waved into the distribution line.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was coming down here to get food, says retiree Sandra Pipes, who waves a vehicle into the distribution zone. \u201cI was coming here with a friend, and one day we said, \u2018If we\u2019re already coming down here, we might as well volunteer,\u201d she smiles.<\/p>\n
Each volunteer knows their responsibilities, and they are stationed along a 50-foot section of roadway, where a variety of food items are stacked and packed- ready for distribution.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got three families, one senior and one child,\u201d Sandra calls to the others down the line. Colored placards are placed on the recipient\u2019s windshield, helping volunteers determine which types of food they qualify for. Seniors receive special pre-packed boxes of non-perishable goods. Families with kids get packs of fruit cups along with other food items.<\/p>\n
About a quarter of a mile down the road, Geronimo is directing traffic. He\u2019s been doing so for about 15 years- first, back in the day when the Redwood Empire Food Bank was coordinating food distribution, and now he\u2019s here at the Mendo Food Network. Today, those in line are in good spirits. \u201cYou never quite know what\u2019s going to happen,\u201d says Geronimo. \u201cSometimes a person will have car trouble. Other times, you might run into someone who\u2019s having a rough day. It\u2019s just human nature,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n
Volunteers form the backbone of the Mendo Food Network. It would literally be impossible to provide the wide array of services to the community without the support of volunteers, who fulfill a variety of functions, but most importantly, are the public face of MFN.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s line is long, but, says Geronimo, not as bad as last month. \u201cWith all that shutdown stuff, we were really swamped last month,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n
As Nicole hands out USDA commodity cheese to folks who want it, she marvels at the distinct difference in the availability of supplemental food in Mendocino County versus Los Angeles, where she lived prior to the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had friends volunteering here, and I just wanted to help,\u201d she explains. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you how different the services are up here compared to LA. There is some food relief available there, but nothing like this. The Mendo Food Network is just amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The community is still adjusting to the organizational shift, with the operation of Mendo Food Network\u2019s Willits warehouse still relatively new. Many volunteers who were working with the Redwood Empire Food Bank in prior years simply transferred over to MFN, and couldn\u2019t be happier with the transition. \u201cThere is more food available to more people, and that\u2019s why we\u2019re here to help,\u201d said one individual.<\/p>\n
As the event continues, it becomes evident that more bags of produce will be needed. Every family received a good-sized bag of fresh fruits, carrots and more. Dan Beebe, who has been lifting the bags into the cars of recipients, grabs a couple of folks who accompany him into the warehouse, where they quickly assemble another 30 bags of fresh produce. It doesn\u2019t take long for Dan to realize that they\u2019re going to need even more. \u201cThe produce is a little tricky,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt\u2019s been really great that lots of bags and boxes get pre-assembled the day before, but we never exactly know how much we\u2019re going to need.\u201d He started volunteering with the Fort Bragg Food Bank \u201cdecades ago,\u201d and can still be relied upon to show up every month for the pop-up. \u201cI\u2019m doing well in the world,\u201d says Beebe. \u201cI know that a lot of people are experiencing hard times. I know how fortunate I am. I guess I\u2019m kind of an altruistic guy,\u201d he smiles. \u201cI like to give, and I like to give back.\u201d<\/p>\n
A piping hot bag of egg rolls shows up, and Sherri Thomas walks the line, making sure all the volunteers know there\u2019s a warm snack available in their break room. A retired nurse, Thomas knows how to take charge without taking over. \u201cI\u2019ve got an autoimmune disorder, so I needed to find a way to volunteer that wouldn\u2019t expose me to a lot of yucky germs,\u201d she laughs. \u201cI wanted to give back to my community. This is a great way for me to get outside and be social.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Mendo Food Network\u2019s beating heart is our group of dedicated, generous volunteers. From pop-ups in Willits, Covelo, Laytonville, and Leggett, to assembling bags for programs like Grab n\u2019 Go, Kids Bags, Teacher Boxes, and more, to our Fort Bragg Food Bank regulars, our volunteers keep the show running. In 2024, our volunteers donated 28,675 hours of their time, and this year we\u2019re looking at even more. Each of our volunteers have their own stories and reasons for volunteering, and every one of them shows up with compassion and patience, giving those who need our support dignity, privacy, and care. We love our volunteers!\u201d says Mary Tinder, MFN\u2019s head of development and fundraising.<\/p>\n
The event started at 10:00 sharp, and it\u2019s now after 12:00. There\u2019s still a significant line of cars filled with folks waiting to receive their food. \u201cThe first folks in line have been here since about 8:00,\u201d says Thomas. \u201cSome people come really early to make sure we haven\u2019t run out of anything. Others come late, because sometimes we have extra. We\u2019re running late- we should have been done by 11:30.\u201d Despite the late hour, not one volunteer leaves their station.<\/p>\n
The volunteers interact closely with the recipients, who never have to leave the warmth of their vehicles. \u201cWould you like your eggs in the car with you?,\u201d one volunteer asks a driver. \u201cPlease put the boxes in the trunk,\u201d says another recipient. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a wheelchair in the back seat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two and a half hours and thousands of pounds later, the last person has been served. The volunteers gather in their break room and enjoy hot pizza from Slam Dunk, sharing photos of grandkids and musing about whether there is real Mexican food available in Europe and India. Google rapidly answers that question.<\/p>\n
One woman sums up the feelings of nearly every recipient after volunteers pack up her car with boxes and bags of food: \u201cThank you for your effort and energy helping my family.\u201d It would be impossible to count the number of \u201cthank-you\u2019s\u201d and \u201cGod Bless you\u2019s\u201d that the volunteers received that day. But in the true spirit of giving, generosity and gratitude, they simply respond with a hug, a wave, or \u201cHave a wonderful day,\u201d and move on to help the next hungry community member.<\/p>\n
To get involved, visit\u00a0www.mendofood.org\/volunteer\u00a0and explore current opportunities. You can also reach out to your local food bank, pantry, soup kitchen, or senior center to donate your time to our partner organizations throughout the county.<\/p>\n
During the month of December, the Fort Bragg Advocate-News Season of Sharing features four stories about the Mendo Food Network and its affiliates. To honor of the kindness of our community, the names of Season of Sharing donors for this week are posted below. Please consider supporting community food resiliency by donating to the Mendo Food Network. You may donate directly to them, or the MFN will happily forward your donation to a designated organization of your choice. To make a donation, visit https:\/\/www.mendofood.org.<\/p>\n
This week\u2019s Season of Sharing Heroes:<\/p>\n
Anonymous
Ken Baumgartner DDS
Shelley Bronzan
Bryant Burkhardt
Victoria Center
Ann Conner
Carol Bishop De Jong
Jannis Fetters
Charles Fraser
Basil Gavin
Patti Harney
Jennifer Hess
Judy Hewitt
Bryant Hichwa
John Houston Jr
Guy Kingsley
Johanna Knaus
Rodney M. Kraus
Gin Paul Kremen
Marilyn Lemos
Michael Machado
MalinFamily FND- Judith Malin
Kira Meade
Eileen Mitro
Judith Nash
Gail Porcelan-Sullivan
Peggy Quaid
James Rainie
Joyce Reichmuth
Ari Schneider
Sheilaugh Sebastian
D.J. Sheffel M.D.
Adele Sommers
Lance Sprague
Stornetta Ranch LLC
Geoffrey Thompson
Clifford Tichenor
Elizabeth Vrenios<\/p>\n
In Memory of Patricia Marien, from James Stavely
In Memory of Mum and Dad, from Anthony Wood
In Memory of James F. and Jan A. Grant, from Jeff and Susan Grant
In Memory of Frances and Alder Thurman, from Vanetta St. John<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Community members like Geronimo take their jobs seriously. With traffic backed up on a side street for over…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":91105,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[7,50445,23,602,50446,7286,7287,266,101,103,102,104,106,105],"class_list":{"0":"post-91104","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-francisco","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-fort-bragg","10":"tag-local-news","11":"tag-mendocino","12":"tag-mendocino-coast","13":"tag-mendocino-county","14":"tag-north-coast","15":"tag-northern-california","16":"tag-san-francisco","17":"tag-san-francisco-headlines","18":"tag-san-francisco-news","19":"tag-sf","20":"tag-sf-headlines","21":"tag-sf-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91104\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}