Siskiyou County residents who income qualify are invited to come choose free, fresh produce for their households at the biggest tailgate parties the county community has likely ever seen.

Thanks to a California Foodlink program locally administered by Great Northern Services, a semi-truck full of fresh produce and a limited amount of bread and pastries will be delivered for free distribution at Tailgate Produce Parties in four Siskiyou County cities every month from May through October.

GNS Program Coordinator Heather Solus said the program is “an exciting opportunity to get fresh fruits and vegetables to our community directly from farmers and food producers. Fresh fruits and vegetables are key to healthy eating, but are not always accessible to people, particularly if the food budget is tight.”

“Donate, Don’t Dump”

The fresh produce headed to Siskiyou County is donated by farmers and growers throughout California, according to www.foodlink.org.

Working with the California Department of Social Services, Foodlink started a “Donate, Don’t Dump” program in the mid-1990s, asking growers to donate rather than discard any excess perishable food they were producing. The website states that Foodlink now receives between 10 and 12 million pounds of food each year from growers and packing houses throughout California who donate to the program.

Foodlink gets the donated food to the people who need it, partnering with local organizations and food banks in the communities served.

Contact: For more information about the Tailgate Produce Party program, please call Heather Solus at 938-4115, ext. 128.

Enrollment in this season’s Mt. Shasta Fresh program will open Monday, May 8 and run through Friday, May 19, 2017.

Mt. Shasta Fresh makes free fresh fruits and vegetables available monthly to income eligible Mount Shasta City residents during the summer months. Made possible by the city’s Community Development Block Grant funding, the program is administered and managed by Great Northern Services.

“The word has spread by word of mouth,” GNS program coordinator Heather Solus said. “Since enrollment is first come, first served, we are strongly advising people to enroll promptly this year.”

She emphasized that income limits for participation are higher than people might expect, and working families are often eligible. A family of four with an annual income of up to $47,100, for instance, qualifies for enrollment.

Mt. Shasta Fresh provides the free produce to participating households through the Farmer’s Market from June through September. Distribution locations will be announced to enrollees before the program begins.

This year people participants will be able to pick out their own produce rather than receiving it pre-bagged, Heather said. “We’re doing it ‘market style’ so people have more choice and there’s less waste.”

Mount Shasta City Finance Director Muriel Terrell said the city is “very pleased” to be able to provide the program again this year.

“It’s truly satisfying to be able to get nice, fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables to those who may not have access to them otherwise,” she commented.

Most food for the program is purchased from regular Farmer’s Market vendors Homeward Bounty, Hunter’s Orchard, Marble Mountain, Windborne Farm, Grow Radicle, and Pierce Family Farm. Solus said the vendors offer a generous pricing schedule in support of the program.

Applicants for Mt. Shasta Fresh must be residents living within the incorporated city limits of City of Mount Shasta and must meet the income requirement guidelines. Download your application now!

Applications are also available at the Mount Shasta Community Resource Center and Mt. Shasta City Hall. All applications must be completed and submitted to the MSCRC, Mt. Shasta City Hall, or Great Northern Services by May 19, 2017.

For more information, call Heather at 938-4115, ext. 128.

Great Norther Services’ Executive Director Bonnie Kubowitz accepts a $4,000.00 grant check from Francisco J. Castillo, Union Pacific Railroad Director of Public Affairs-Corporate Relations.

The Union Pacific Foundation donated $4,000.00 to Great Northern Services this spring to help supplement and expand their Summer Food Program, which provides free lunches during the summer months to all children 18 years old and younger who wish to participate.

“We are honored and grateful to receive the Foundation’s support,” Great Northern executive director Bonnie Kubowitz said. “This funding has helped us expand our Summer Food Program from one location to four locations in south Siskiyou County, which means more children will be fed and more parents will enjoy peace of mind knowing that their children are getting the nutrition they need while school is closed.”

In the letter confirming the grant, Union Pacific president Scott Moore reflected on what he described as Union Pacific’s “long-standing commitment to improve the quality of life in the communities we serve and where our employees live and work.”

He stated that Union Pacific is “proud to support Great Northern Services” and extended the company’s best wishes for the organization’s continued success.

Children will be served free lunches again this summer, thanks to Great Northern Services’ Summer Food Program.

Now in its second year, the program will offer lunch at three locations in Weed and one in Mount Shasta every weekday from Monday, June 20 through Friday, August 12.

“All children 18 years old and under are welcome,” GNS Summer Food Program coordinator Heather Solus said.

Parents or guardians may accompany small children, she explained, but due to budget limitations adults will not be served a meal.

Scheduled locations and lunch times in Weed are as follows:

• Weed Elementary School, from 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.;
• Mountain View Apartments, from 12 – 12:30 p.m.; and,
• Bel Air Park, from 12 – 12:30 p.m.

     In Mount Shasta, lunches will be served from 12:30 p.m. – 1 p.m. at Mount Shasta Elementary School.

A combination of Great Northern staff and volunteers will oversee lunch service at the Weed sites, according to Solus, while the Mount Shasta Rotary Club will run the site in Mount Shasta.

She said the meals will be prepared by a food-safe certified GNS staff member in a food-safe certified kitchen and delivered to the lunch sites daily.

After-lunch activities will be offered several days a week at Bel Air Park and Mount Shasta Elementary. The schedule of activities for the week will be announced every Monday at those locations.

The program is funded in part by the USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, which is “an equal opportunity provider and employer,” according to the USDA website. The balance of the funding is donated by individuals, businesses, and corporations – generosity Solus described as “very important to the success of the program.”

Last year the Summer Food Program ran only at the Bel Air Park location. Solus said this year’s expanded program is fully funded and reflects the priority to “get the food to where the kids are.”

“We’re looking forward to expanding to more sites in more towns next year,” she added.

For more information about Great Northern’s Summer Food Program, call Solus at 938-4115, extension 128.