Help House celebrates 45 years

Oak Harbor’s food bank is holding a special event to commemorate 45 years of fighting hunger in the community.

North Whidbey Help House’s anniversary celebration coincides with the “Christmas in July” food drive. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday, July 16, people can donate items to the food drive at both the Walmart and Saar’s Super Saver Foods in Oak Harbor.

North Whidbey Help House was established in 1977 and began the Christmas in July food drive in the mid-’80s in response to donations decreasing during the summer months.

“People are hungry 365 days a year,” Executive Director Jean Wieman said.

Christmas is a time of giving, and the Help House wants to keep that spirit alive throughout the year. Wieman said the food drive assures that the shelves are stocked until the holiday season. Help House staff used to go door to door to let the city know the drive was happening, but that required too much manpower.

Now staff rely on local businesses to help out. For example, Tradewinds Insurance is collecting non-perishable, pre-packaged food all month long.

“We take anything and everything,” Wieman said, adding that the food bank particularly needs proteins – things like peanut butter, cans of beans, tuna, and ravioli. Other needed items include jelly, green beans, pasta and tomato sauce.

The Help House also accepts non-perishable items, frozen items and produce. People often donate fruits and vegetables from their gardens. However, the Help House cannot accept homemade items.

“Eating well is expensive,” Wieman said. “So the more help we can get, the better off our clients are going to be.”

At 2 p.m. on Saturday, immediately following the food drive, the 45th anniversary celebration will commence at the North Whidbey Help House, located at 1091 S.E. Hathway St. in Oak Harbor.

“It’s kind of our way of thanking the community for what they provide for us,” Wieman said.

There will be hamburgers, hot dogs and a live band. People will be able to take a tour of the facility to see how their donations are put to use.

Outside of Christmas in July, people can drop off donated items at the Help House Monday through Friday. People can also donate money via check or Paypal at northwhidbeyhelphouse.org.

“This place had been many things before it actually became the food bank,” Wieman said of its 45 year history.

The Help House used to provide clothing and household goods.

“We got rid of that because we ran out of room,” she said.

Nowadays, people can come in twice a month to receive a supplemental food bag, which contains three to four days worth of food.

The Help House serves an average of 320 families a month, which is down from pre-pandemic numbers, according to Wieman. The average before the COVID-19 pandemic was 535 families a month. Wieman attributes the decrease, in part, to the increased SNAP benefits people have been receiving throughout the pandemic. She also believes that some clients were forced to move away due to the increased cost of housing.

The Help House is seeing numbers increase again.

The majority of its funds – 96%– come from private donations. It also receives about $40,000 a year from the state Department of Agriculture, which reimburses the cost of purchased food.

“Do we rely on the community? Yes, we do, very heavily,” Wieman said.

The Help House’s service area is North Whidbey from Deception Pass to Bakken Road in Greenbank. Clients must provide a photo ID and can receive a bag of food on any two days in a month. Bakery items and produce can be received two times a week.

The Help House provided holiday baskets during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last year, 458 holiday food baskets fed 1,870 people.

In addition to providing food, the Help House has a program called North Whidbey Medical Help. This program pays for things like prescriptions, medical equipment and emergency dental care.

Another program, tele-care, provides daily phone calls to check up on elderly or handicapped people who live alone.

Wieman thanked the community for its continued support.

“It’s only because of our community we can stay open five days a week,” Wieman said. “We’ve never had to shut our doors in 45 years because of this community.”

The North Whidbey Help House is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday. It is closed 12 to 1 p.m. everyday for lunch.