Welcome to Skagit County

April 19th, 2005

BURLINGTON ROTARY CLUB DONATES $6,000 TO THE ALGER FOOD BANK
 
The Burlington Morning Rotary Club has committed $6,000 in funds to the Alger Food Bank for the purchase of a new modular building for the food bank. This donation comes just in time, as the need for a new building has been a pressing matter for the food bank for some time.

The Alger Food Bank's current facilities are extremely rundown and on the point of collapse, and, if not for the current turn of events, it may have been forced to close its doors. The food bank has been operated by an all-volunteer staff for 22 years, and serves more than 17,000 duplicate clients (3,594 households) per year - providing nearly 150,000 pounds of food per year at a cost of less than $1 per client. Spanish-speaking volunteers serve a substantial portion of farm-worker families in Skagit Valley, as well as other low-income households.
 
The project to secure funding for a new building to house the Alger Food Bank has been the result of a unified effort involving the County, United Way, the Burlington Morning Rotary Club, and Community Action. This is the most recent product of an informal partnership that has formed to respond to the needs at both the Alger Food Bank and Hamilton Care Center.
 
Skagit County Commissioner Ted Anderson has secured a $40,000 commitment from Skagit County, as well as a promise to waive all set-up and permit fees; Jerry Robinson, owner of Northwest Mobile Home & RV Salvage, has offered to sell the modular units at a $60,000 discount by way of donation, as well as to transport the units free of charge; and the United Way of Skagit County and Skagit County Community Action have each committed $10,000 toward the project.
 
"This is a great example of what can be accomplished in the community when people of goodwill pool their talents and resources," said Commissioner Ted Anderson.