By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Saturday donations help fill shelves at C.A.R.E. Center
Bus bags
Carrying some more donations on to the eTrans bus on Saturday, Nov. 16 were C.A.R.E. volunteer John Barrett, left, handing off a bag of groceries to MarVal employee Jeremiah Reis. It was during the one-day Stuff the Bus effort hosted outside MarVal on McHenry Avenue. Marg Jackson/The Times

An annual event for several years, Escalon’s ‘Stuff the Bus’ collection to help support the local C.A.R.E. food bank met with success on Saturday.

The one-day drive on Nov. 16 was hosted outside MarVal Main Street Market on McHenry Avenue, with an eTrans bus set up by the store. Shoppers could purchase items to donate or purchase a pre-packed bag of goods, with various price levels, to support the food bank.

“We received 117 bags of groceries, eight turkeys, two hams and $200 in cash donations,” said C.A.R.E. Director Sherrie Vaden.

The ‘Stuff the Bus’ is designed to help provide food baskets for families in need in the area during the Thanksgiving holiday.

“We serve 125 families,” Vaden said of the Thanksgiving distribution.

They are still in need of turkeys and hams and Vaden said they also need more volunteers to help out at C.A.R.E on a regular basis.

“We especially are in need of a bilingual volunteer,” Vaden said.

On Saturday, MarVal hosted its Customer Appreciation Day in conjunction with the food drive, as a way to help bring more people – and more potential donors – to the store. Many residents did take the opportunity to purchase the pre-packed food bags, while others chose to fill bags with items they purchased at MarVal.

“The nice thing is, everything stays here in town,” volunteer John Barrett said of the donations to C.A.R.E., which services residents of Escalon, Farmington and Collegeville.

Vaden said there are several programs designed to help local residents battle food insecurity.

There is the supplemental food distribution on Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., with the third Wednesday the federal commodities distribution. On the second and fourth Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 11 am., it’s the Silver Seniors Brown Bag giveaway. Finally, the second Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. is the Second Harvest mobile farmer’s market, with fresh fruits and vegetables.

There are income guidelines for many of the programs; contact Vaden at 209-417-2048 for information or to volunteer.

C.A.R.E., the Community Action Resources of Escalon, is at 1601 Second St., Escalon. More information is available on the website at escaloncare.org; you can also make donations, with checks made out to C.A.R.E., and mail them to Escalon Ministerial Association, P.O. Box 1, Escalon, CA 95320.