This selection of food, donated by Safeway of Enterprise to Wallowa County Food Bank, went home with seniors Nov. 6.

In the last two weeks, more than 1,600 pounds of food has been collected from Safeway in Enterprise for the Wallowa County Food Bank.

This addition of mostly fresh produce is the result of the merger of Albertsons and Safeway, which took place earlier this year.

The new corporate management is a big supporter of the Fresh Alliance Program, which seeks to rescue food and get it into the hands of individuals who need the assistance.

In larger cities this means that Oregon Food Bank collects products that have been pulled from the shelves and takes them to a central, refrigerated warehouse for distribution to food banks.

In Wallowa County it means that Community Connection picks up the food from our local Safeway and takes it immediately to senior meal sites and food bank donation sites in the county.

Seventy percent of that food was fresh produce, including melon salads, fresh green salads, individually packaged lunch salads and more. Safeway also is donating meat and dairy products in addition to packaged foods and bread.

According to Community Connection manager Connie Guentert, Wallowa County Food Bank served 356 people in the county in October. In all, 145 boxes were distributed last month. That number is expected to rise from November through March.

“They are the toughest months in Wallowa County and historically we serve more people,” Guentert said.

Sometimes people don’t meet the financial guidelines but they have something come up – we never turn them away.”

Community Connection — in concert with other members of the Wallowa County Food Council — is keen to help individuals understand that both giving and accepting help are part of what makes a community.

“Our financial guidelines are very generous, broader than the SNAP guidelines,” said Guentert. “We encourage people to come in. We never turn anyone away.

“There are people in the community that have food insecurities that don’t use the food bank due to perceived stigma. There shouldn’t be a stigma. At one point or another, everybody needs a helping hand.”

Food Bank collection sites:

• Community Connection 702 NW 1st St, in Enterprise: 8 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m. Monday through Friday

• Old VFW Hall in Wallowa: 1-3 p.m. the second and third Tuesday of each month

To view a film produced by Oregon Food Bank that features a Wallowa County family, visit https://youtu.be/ojDVgdGZSOs. The film emphasizes ways a working family can sometimes meet with circumstances that require them to seek food assistance.