Wilsonville Library, Community Sharing Partner on Food for Fines Program April 9 to 15

WILSONVILLE, OR – The city library and a local nonprofit are partnering next week to help residents with their overdue book fines when they donate food items for charity.

The Food for Fines program offers a $1 credit toward Wilsonville Library overdue fees for each can or box of food donated during National Library Week, April 9 to 15.

The donated food items will go to Wilsonville Community Sharing, a nonprofit social service agency offering food and other resources to people in need for more than 25 years.

Acceptable donations include unexpired canned goods, cereal, and store-bought jellies and jams. Community Sharing will not accept Ramen noodles, anything homemade, or damaged or expired items.

The volunteer-run food bank, located at 28925 S.W. Boberg Rd. in Wilsonville, opens Tuesdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and again from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. As the only food pantry in Wilsonville, Community Sharing assists an average of 136 families (or roughly 320 individuals) per month with food assistance, according to Leigh Crosby, Community Sharing food bank, donations, and volunteer coordinator.

Beyond the food bank, however, Community Sharing tries to tackle the needs causing an individual or family to seek food assistance in the first place, said Lani Snyder, information and referral specialist for Community Sharing.

"We want to provide additional resources to get ahead of the need for food," Snyder told Patch Tuesday.

Funded primarily by local churches, businesses, and organizations, Community Sharing also helps at-risk families with utility bill assistance, prescription medicine help, and housing support, taking more than 100 phone calls and seeing more than 30 office visits per month for assistance outside the food bank, Crosby said.

In March, Community Sharing was the recipient of more than $30,000 from Wilsonville Subaru following its ninth annual Share the Love campaign. Between November and January, Subaru donated $250 to either a national or local charity for every new Subaru sold or leased.

"Wilsonville Subaru did a real good job of pushing us as the local charity," Crosby said.

To seek assistance, donate, or find opportunities to volunteer, visit http://wilsonvillecommunitysharing.org.

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