Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank

We have many people in our community that run into a short term financial crisis and may need food assistance once, normally to bridge the food gap until payday rolls around. Anybody can get one box and just sign for it and we may never see them again. We don't want to make people jump through hoops for one box. It's already humbling enough to ask.

If a household is going to need ongoing help, due to a fixed income, low-income wages, terminal or chronic illness, loss of a job, etc., they come into our office after getting their initial food box. We have a client intake person available Monday through Friday from 11:00 to 3:30. Our client intake person sits down with each household and discusses their current situation and what's going on.

Of the 5,100 households we served in 2019-20, about 85% had a monthly income less than half of what the income eligibility guidelines allow. The other 15% were financially settled, but something happened in their lives that knocked them down, hard and quick:

Lay-offs
Reduced work hours
Illness
Injury
Households who need ongoing help are issued a food box card that allows them to receive a certain amount of boxes. They can take that card to any pantry throughout Klamath and Lake Counties. Each time they receive a box, the pantry volunteer punches their card and makes a notation in the computer, as the computer database allows us to track visits in real time. Each household signs for their food box. With limited resources, this system allows us to have a decent amount of control over the program. It also helps to keep the quality of a food box intact.