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Helping others make it keeps getting tougher
By JIM HARRINGTON
Article published on Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2007
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![[Image]](/content_images/112107_cit-01.jpg) |
| Photo by JIM HARRINGTON |
| Kathi Trautwein, director of RCS Food Bank, stands next to a pallet of goods. Donations are down this year. |
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CLEARWATER – Donations this year down for the RCS Food Bank of Clearwater.
Way down.
Last year, the food bank took in about 185 tons of perishable and non-perishable food.
This year, the food bank’s headquarters on Druid Road stored half that at 95 tons.
Still, the mission must go on, said Kathi Trautwein, the pantry’s director.
There’s a lot of a hungry mouths out there, she said. And RCS, acting as the Pinellas distributor for the government’s efforts to provide food for the needy, ships out provisions to 62 locations.
A large homeless population does take up a good portion of the food bank’s rations, but Trautwein has seen families and senior citizens register for help, which typically includes about three to four days worth of goods.
Sometimes, social security checks just don’t cover expenses for the elderly, many of whom are on a fixed income. And families too find themselves down on their luck. RCS registers new families at the rate of about 10 to 20 a day.
To help with the organization’s mission, Trautwein hires about eight full time employees and some 30 to 40 volunteers. It collects food from individuals, but a large portion of it comes from congregations and grocery stores like Publix.
RCS feeds about 85 to 100 families a day. Sometimes, a family comprises just one person, but she has seen as many as 10 family members come for help. The food pantry’s homegrown client registry has more than 17,000 names in its database.
Its huge warehouse on Druid Road just west of Myrtle Avenue doubles as the recipients’ registry point as well as the delivery point for its operations.
To meet her clients’ needs, Trautwein has brought on a Hispanic volunteer to translate. The office can produce a photographic ID card that can be used for certain transactions.
The organization’s biggest need is food. With a large freezer on the premises, RCS can store just about any type of food. The food pantry relies heavily on the annual postal clerk donation drive in May.
But she concedes it would be nice to have a nicer facility. Recently, the food pantry was able to install a ceiling to cover up the electrical installation and ductwork. The main office has been remodeled, as well.
But she wants to do more. To give newcomers and visitors an idea of the cost to refurbish the warehouse, Trautwein has taped typewritten messages on certain parts inside. For instance, the price tag to remove a wall and install a new door on an interior part of the building would cost $10,000. A dream of hers is to have medical professionals on staff.
To help out, call the food pantry at 443-4031.
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Article published on Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2007
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