“ We had one young man who came in and was so overwhelmed with joy to have fresh fruit and vegetables . He shared that he had not had fresh foods in his house for years , and he was so excited to bring home the apples and the other produce that had been donated by Buddhist Relief .”
- katie longbrake , WUMCO and complicated needs .” Nonperishable items are providing basic needs . Buddhist Relief fills the gaps or special requests for food items that are more culturally aligned with the clients . “ Fresh food has been a key benefit for clients since partnering with WUMCO ,” says Dara Tokarz , a longtime KPC nun , teacher and liaison for Buddhist Relief ’ s Community Partnerships and Grants .
Logistical challenges like limited office hours make it hard for individuals to drop off fresh produce , explains Katie . “ That ’ s where Buddhist Relief has been amazing at filling the gaps . Dara emails me every other week and says : ‘ what can we get for you ?’. In the winter we would love produce that keeps well , like carrots , cabbages , onions and potatoes and eggs and cheese … items that people really appreciate . In the summer when we get produce from local growers , everyone wants fruit and that is harder to come by , things like apples and pears .” When people come in for the fruit provided by Buddhist Relief they also take the beets and other nutritious produce . And when Katie puts out the word through WUMCO ’ s weekly email distribution that eggs are available , one third more clients come in .
Over the summer , kids who experience food insecurity need help . The County set up lunch sites but the closest one in Western
Montgomery County was Clarksburg . For a Poolesville parent that meant leaving work , driving to the location , sitting with their child while they ate lunch , and driving back . Not possible for most working folks to take an hour and a half each day . So Buddhist Relief partnered with WUMCO to provide cheeses , deli meats and fruit , filling in the gaps . “ Those were the things we were having trouble getting other people to donate ,” recalls Katie . “ That ’ s when KPC steps in and says ‘ we got that .’”
Client food needs are always fluctuating . “ We have a growing Hispanic community so we want to provide masa for making tortillas . People want cooking oil and spices and those are things not normally donated . And it ’ s those items that make food taste good . It ’ s about having the dignity of choosing what families culturally enjoy and those items go quickly from our pantry .” WUMCO provides food for its clients monthly — about 120 pounds . From May through October produce is provided weekly from local growers and Buddhist Relief . Winter months as produce is available , it ’ s added to the boxes . “ Having culturally relevant foods helps us build trust , acknowledging that we see and value their culture ,” adds Katie .
“ In September we served 32 families consisting of 157 individuals ,” says Melissa Widenhofer , Community Health Manager at WUMCO . Katie adds that does not include our produce distribution where about 40 families come through each week . Most clients like to come to the pantry and can select their items . When clients ’ needs become clearer , especially when it comes to nutrition , fresh produce is key to improving health outcomes . WUMCO offers diabetes education and we partner with Community Farm Share and their Food As Medicine program . “ Last winter KPC began bringing produce to WUMCO . Previously it was very hit or miss . So to always have some produce to offer as well as milk and eggs really made a big difference for our clients , who were so appreciative ,” assures Katie . As winter closes in you will see the KPC Buddhist Relief vans crisscrossing the rural county and into DC , bringing fresh produce , and culturally caring and relevant food items for a folks in need .
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