Lewiston Fresh Start Food Pantry

Lewiston Fresh Start Food Pantry Food Pantry Distribute, food and clothing!! To needy residents of Lewiston!!

12/28/2025

Lewiston haves and needs

07/31/2022

Friends,

Report from the Fresh Start Food Pantry of Lewiston for July, 2022

We did not send out a report last month for the first time in seven years because we were contemplating some changes and there was very little new news on the food front. Here are the changes we are making;
Over the last two years our bank account has steadily grown. We now have $13, 038 in our account. The food pantry was never set up to be this successful financially. The amount represents more than half a year operating costs. For that reason we are not including a return envelope for your pledge donations and any automatic donations will be returned by mail for the next few months. We will continue to send you the newsletter. The community has consistently supported the food pantry for more than eight years. We sincerely thank you. We will continue our work and when the financial need becomes apparent we will ask again for your help.
Another reason for this change is the increased free food coming from the Contra Costa/Solano Food Bank and Feeding America. Once a month a semi- truck arrives in Redding with free food. Trinity Food Outreach, Inc. and the Trinity County Food Bank unload and reload into our trucks over seven pallets of food and bring the load to Weaverville. The food is then divided for the seven food pantries of Trinity and the two senior Centers and distributed for free. This has cut our local food pantry’s costs at least in half while allowing us to distribute a higher quality of free food to those in need. The same has happened to all of the food pantries and the senior centers in Trinity.
And finally due to a reorganization of the way we distribute food the amount of food and the amount of waste has gone down. In the past we packed the bags and distributed the bags to the recipients. Now the recipients come into the Pantry and pick what food they want. The end result is less food being given away with a larger selection for the recipients.
All of this can change. If there is a fire or other crisis we may need additional immediate help but for now, in all due conscience, we cannot continue to ask for your help for now. Thank you for all you have done to bring the Fresh Start Food Pantry to this place.

Trinity Food Outreach, Inc.
Our main focus is on this fire season. To date we have raised $15,632 in cash, $17,000 in grant commitments if fires damage homes or water systems, $10,000 in debit cards for distribution and a long list of survival items for those impacted by future fires. We have the trucks, the volunteers and the sight managers working with the Trinity County Food Bank. All this is ready to go. For the last few years we have had to begin fund raising during fires. Of the last two years we have had to raise over $50,000 each year and distribute those funds. This year we decided to start early so as not to be caught unprepared.
If fires do break out we will be coming to the community of Trinity for additional help. We all pray this preparation will not be necessary.

The volunteers at the Fresh Start Food Pantry thank you for your support.
Your volunteers are Greg, Bob, Laura, Mary, Gail and Connor

05/19/2022

Report from the Fresh Start Food Pantry of Lewiston for May, 2022

Fresh Start food Pantry
The month of May saw a slight increase in people coming to the pantry. We suspect it has to do with the increase in costs for food and gas that is increasing the numbers of people in need. We distributed to about 28 households. Because of your pledges, the new format for food distribution and an increase in free food from Feeding America the costs of our distribution were fully covered in May. We have another truck load coming in the 21st which will help greatly.
Summer Lunch Program for the children of Lewiston
The Summer Lunch Program has been funded by United Way of Northern California again this summer. The Women of the Lewiston Moose Lodge will also be running the program which runs five days a week for seven weeks. The children will be given a free, nutritious lunch though out the summer. Many of the parents work during the summer and the school cannot afford to make lunches. Also the school will be in session for summer school for the full day this summer. This will be the seventh year for this program. Last year we averaged 40 children per day!
Trinity Trust has granted four $500 grants for activities surrounding the lunch program for the children. The Lewiston Community Church will offer disk golf and pickle ball for the children and give
the children disk golf supplies. The Lewiston School House will be offering art classes and painting a mural in the park. The Women of the Moose and the Men of the Moose will be combining their funds for a trip to Waterworks Park in Redding and a trip to Weaverville’s swimming pool with lunch included.
Thanks again to United Way and Trinity Trust for making this possible.
Trinity Food Outreach, Inc.
Trinity Food Outreach is now focused on this summer’s fire situation. We are raising funds to help where people have suffered from wildfires. Working with the Trinity County Food Bank we have accumulated the following items for fire relief;
Kitchen free food boxes (250), MRK meal relief kits (400),MRE meals ready to eat (8,640), water (3 pallets), Masks for smoke (90,000),Debit cards for $100 each (101), New 30% wool blankets (1,400), Plastic totes with lids (83), New pillows (35), Bags of charcoal (9), Propane Heaters (2), Propane canisters (15), Dinnerware sets (1), Small tents (2), Hand soap (50 lg bottles), Paper cups (2 Lg boxes) and personal water filtration systems (100).
We have also received $6,000 to our disaster fund and a commitment for an additional $5,000. Last year we spent over $54,000 on items for fire relief and all those funds were spent. We donated up to $1,500 per household that were burned plus food gift cards. For those water systems that were destroyed we helped with funds for repair. We also helped repair over 5 small community water systems.
Working with the Food Bank we were the first in after fires and the first with funds and supplies to help the fire victims. It takes time for the Red Cross, FEMA and other organizations to get set up but we have the warehouse, five trucks, supplies and most importantly, we have the volunteers spread throughout the county ready to go.
We still have a long way to go fund raising in case of a fire this summer. If you would like to help please donate to Trinity Food Outreach, Inc. at P.O. Box 500, Lewiston, Ca. 96052. There are neither salaried positions nor paid staff. All funds go directly to those in need.
Once again thank you for your pledge to support the Lewiston Food Pantry. Your pledge makes Lewiston a better place to live for all of us.

04/03/2022

Lewiston Fresh Start Food Pantry report for February and March, 2022
We did not send out a report or a pledge envelope for February because we knew that with the disk golf tournament we would be receiving a large amount of nonperishable food as part of the entrance fee for the participants. We were not disappointed. The Ice Bowl disk golf event was the largest turn out in the 10 years we have been putting on the event. Over 350 pounds of food was given by over 44 contestants for our community. Thanks to all the volunteers the breakfast and lunch went very smoothly. Holiday market Kicked in some supplies and discounted the tri tips. Our share of the entrance fees was $1,507.00 which will carry us through April. In February we served 27 households and in March we served 28 households with food.
Summer Lunch Program
Because of the success of the disk golf event we would like to change how the pledge monies coming in this month will be distributed. If you do not mind we would like to apply all of the April’s pledge funds toward the Summer Lunch Program for the children of Lewiston.
This will be our 7th year for the lunch program and the 6th year that the Woman of the Lewiston Moose Lodge has done the work to serve our community. The lunch program is vital for the kids as they are out of school, the elementary school cannot afford to hire a cook during the summer and many of the children are on their own as their parents are working. Last year the Woman of the Moose served an average of 40 lunches five days a week for the seven weeks of summer. That’s 1,400 lunches!
Each year Trinity Trust grants four (4) $500 grants for activities for the children during the lunch program. The Lewiston Community Church, the Lewiston School House library, the men of the Moose Lodge and the women of the Moose Lodge offer the children activities such as trips to Waterworks Park in Redding, the pool in Weaverville, art classes, disk golf (with free disks) and Pickle Ball instruction.
Funds for the Summer Lunch Program have come from Northern California United way for the last two years. These funds have been applied for but yet to be received. One major problem is the increasing costs for the food served. These rising costs are why we hope to donate this month’s pledge funds to the lunch program. If you would like to make a special donation to this community project please do. All funds for April will go to this very important project.
Trinity Food Outreach, Inc.
We are now actively working with north state foundations to create a disaster fund for this summer’s potential fires. For the last three (3) years we have raised and donated over $130,000 for the citizens of Trinity who have been directly impacted by fires. We donate gift cards for food, debit cards for medicine and needed supplies, blankets, propane cooking stoves, MRI meals, generators and numerous other supplies to those who have lost their homes in the fires. Many of those impacted do not have anywhere to go after losing their homes or services and are forced to stay on their burnt land. We also fund the repairs on water systems where destroyed. We cannot make people whole following a fire but we can help. We work together with the Trinity County Food Bank. The food bank has the warehouse, the trucks (5) and a large number of volunteers who help get the financial aid supplies out to those who are in need. The food bank is serving the fire victims before FEMA, Red Cross or other agencies because we have the infrastructure, volunteers and supplies. Once the federal, state and other agencies begin functioning we begin to move out.

Once again we wish to thank you for your support for the Fresh Start Food Pantry of Lewiston. Your volunteers are Greg, Bob, Laura, Gail, Connor, Mary, Bri and Monk.

02/27/2022

Friends,
Report from the Fresh Start Food Pantry for January, 2022
We are now distributing food once a month in larger quantities. We have also completely changed the way we distribute the food. In the past we prepacked the food in bags and distributed an equal amount of food to each household. This resulted in some homes getting food they did not want, some homes getting too much food and some getting too little food. We reorganized our distribution allowing people to pick out the food they want and the quantity needed for their household. A volunteer asks the recipient how many in the household. Based on the number they are told how many of each item they can have. The food items are set out by groups (protein, starch, vegetables, sauces, cereal, etc.). Frozen items are handed out as requested.
On our first day of the new system we found the recipients were much happier with this format and we distributed about the same quantity of food with less waste. We served 47 households this first distribution under the new system. We hope to build on this system with the funds we will be saving from the waste of the old system.
Trinity Food Outreach, Inc.
As many of you are aware Trinity Food Outreach, Inc. is a fund raising organization focusing in on the food pantries and soup kitchens. Working with the Trinity County Food bank we purchase reduced price food from Feeding America and resell the food to the pantries and soup kitchens at no mark up in price. Recently we have had to respond to disasters in our county. Because the Food Bank has the warehouse, the trucks and volunteers spread throughout Trinity we have ended up being the first responders to those who have been impacted by fires and now power outages. Two years ago we supplied fire victims in Southern Trinity with gift cards for food, debit cards for medicine and gas and funds to restore water systems raising and spending over $57,000. Last year we raised and spent over $63,000 on the people impacted by the McFarland fire, the Monument fire and the Coffee Creak fire. Also we raised and spent $41,000 on the over two week power outages in Southern Trinity and Humboldt County. In the case of the freeze people were sleeping in their cars for heat. Many did not have non electrical heating systems so we purchased and distributed small propane heating systems. As the freeze continued we purchased food gift cards to replace destroyed food. We also purchased credits from Campora Propane for heating. Finally we purchased and distributed through the Willow Creek Assistance Center over $5,000 in gift cards from the Eureka Winco for food purchases. Recently P.G.&E. granted us $20,000. We purchased two hundred $100 gift cards at Winco in Eureka to replace the food lost in the power outage. These cards are being distributed by the Food Bank working with the Wayside Church in Willow Creek.
It is difficult to adequately express our thanks to the donors who have support these efforts. The Humboldt Area Foundation, The Smullin Foundation, Trinity Trust, Northern Valley Catholic Social Services, Northern California United Way, P.G.&E., the numerous local businesses and local people who have underwritten these efforts.

Once again thank you for your support for the Fresh Start Food Pantry of Lewiston. All of your pledge money go only to supplying food to the people in our Lewiston Valley.
Your volunteers are Greg, Bob, Laura, Gail, Bri, Monk and Connor

12/04/2021

Fresh Start Food Pantry of Lewiston, November, 2021

Christmas Ham Dinners.
Your food pantry will be giving to those in need in Lewiston Valley on the 20th of December a full Christmas dinner to take home, prepare and share. To make this succeed we will need your help. Even with the discount provided by R&R meat distributors the price of the hams has risen over 33% from last year. All other items have gone up in similar percentages or more. What once was costing the pantry about $1,000.00 now costs over $1,700.00. We do this Christmas dinner because many organizations sponsor Thanksgiving meals but few focus on Christmas.
Reorganizing the Lewiston Food Pantry
Beginning in January of this coming year the pantry will be distributing food baskets once a month on the third Monday of the month. The Trinity Food Bank will be distributing commodities on the first Monday of the month. The Pantry will be handing out a larger amount of food once a month to try and make up for the diminished number of days of distribution. The food pantry will be run by Greg and Bob along with Laura, Monk, Bri and Gail. Connor will be helping with fund raising. Home deliveries will be limited to the fully disabled or homebound.
Trinity Food Outreach, Inc.
Trinity Food Outreach, Inc. is composed of the seven food pantries and soup kitchens in Trinity County.
This organization has, over the last eight years, raised funds to support the pantries and soup kitchens. During the last two years foundations have granted funds to initially help fire victims with emergency assistance. This last summer Outreach raised over $47,500.00 for fire victims in Trinity. These funds have now been spent on immediate food vouchers and cash assistance to people burned out of their homes and repairs to public and private water systems destroyed in the fires. The last grant of $5,000 went to the Down River Volunteer Fire Department that lost 3 water tanks and water lines while fighting nearby fires. Hopefully we do not have to do this again.
Trinity Food Bank
Our county food bank continues to be in good shape. Jeff and Krishann have been doing a wonderful job under some very trying circumstances. Funds are now coming in allowing the food bank to purchase a newer refrigerator truck and a new van that can hold up to 3 pallets of food.
Thank you
Thank you for your continuing support for the food pantry. As almost everyone knows by now Trinity is the poorest county in California with a median household income of $40,000. The last income survey done by the state showed Lewiston Subdivision at $24,000 a year. Hunger is not just the guy holding a sign by the road “need food”. Hunger is embarrassing. Hunger hides behind closed doors. It is our job to search out the food needs of our neighbors. That is why your food pantry exists. All of the pledge funds received are spent on food for distribution only. Please help by pledging monthly an amount you can afford. You can mail a check or money order to Lewiston Fresh Start Food Pantry . P.O. Box 500 Lewiston California 96052.

11/19/2021

We now have Best Wishes Bags available! ✨ Best Wishes Program is a great way to ensure that a family in need does not go without during the Holiday Season. All purchased bags go directly to the Trinity Community Food Outreach. Thank you ❤️

11/15/2021

The Fresh Start Food Pantry of Lewiston has been closed beginning in November, 2021 for a period of time. The reason for closing is as follows;

1. Declining numbers of people coming to the pantry.
Prior to the pandemic we averaged between 55 and 60 bags of food being given to families in our community. Currently we are averaging 25 to 28 bags of food distributed.
2. Declining number of volunteers.
Recently we have lost some very key volunteers. The actual work load has remained about the same but the burden has fallen on fewer people.
3. Declining financial backing from our community.
Prior to the pandemic we averaged about $1,000 a month in pledges. This covered about all our expenses. Currently our pledges have fallen more than 70%.
4. Being the person who managed the Food Pantry for the last 11 years it is now time for me to pay more attention to my family.

Greg and Bob will be restarting the pantry on a reduced schedule beginning with the Christmas Ham Dinner the Monday before Christmas and then the third Monday of each month after that - as funds permit. To make this happen we will need community financial support.
Almost all the seven food pantries and soup kitchens in our county are run by larger organizations. Four of the seven are run by churches where the burden can be shared by many. There are funds available to restart the food pantry if an organization steps forward.
In closing I wish to thank all of those who have helped over the last 10 years, both financially, as volunteers and suppliers. You have made the food pantry possible and helped Lewiston be a better place to live for all of us.
Your volunteers have been Monk, Bri, Cora, Bob, Gail, Greg, Laura, Connor, Mary, Robyn and Bob.
If your plate is full be thankful. If your neighbor’s plate is not full, please share.


Sincerely,
Connor Nixon

10/13/2021

Report from the Fresh Start Food Pantry of Lewiston
September, 2021
Friends,
Our numbers dropped for September slightly. It is difficult to explain why. Prior to the pandemic we averaged around 50 bags of food distributed each week. We have slowly declined to around forty. There does not seem to be any specific reason for the decline as there has also been a slight decline in the numbers of people receiving food assistance in Lewiston from the Food Bank. Over the last year or so we have been able to include meat and other staples in the food bags due to more food arriving from Feeding America.
The pantry suffered two major losses this month. Robyn and Bob have made home deliveries for over two years for us and for the Food Bank. They are planning to move out of state. We will continue to make deliveries for those who are home bound and are looking for someone willing to volunteer. Home deliveries take about an hour and a half each Monday. Our pantry is the only pantry offering this service in Trinity. There are about fourteen home bound people in Lewiston. Would you like to volunteer?
Our second major loss was Greg Hamilton. Greg has worked with the pantry for over four years. Greg has moved to the bay area to care for his father. Greg not only helped reorganize the pantry, headed up one of the teams but he also worked with the Trinity Food Bank. Greg drove truck to help out and also helped distribute food packages all over Trinity County. His energy level , dedication and friendship will be missed. Greg will return to visit and will keep his home here. We are also in need of someone to volunteer in Greg’s place. It is once a month to purchase the necessary food, pack the bags and help in the distribution. Greg’s team member is Laura. In the week of Greg’s turn it took about four hours in preparation and distribution. Can you help?

Trinity Food Outreach, Inc.

With grants by north state foundations, local businesses and people in Trinity we have nearly concluded the first stage of helping people who were burned out during this year’s fires. Each family we were able to contact received $700.00 in debit cards and food gift cards. Renters were the hardest to find as they had no connection with the property once it was burned. We are now shifting our focus to damaged water systems. We are able to fund water pipes and items to get community water systems up and running. Once we complete that we will try to assist individual water systems.

Once again we thank you for your support. Without you help the pantry could not serve the people of Lewiston.
Your Volunteers are…Laura, Gail, Bob, Bri, Monk, Connor and Mary

07/11/2021

Dear Friends,

Report from the Fresh Start Food Pantry of Lewiston for June, 2021

The heat during this June has kept our numbers down at the pantry while our home delivery’s numbers have stayed steady. Together we are averaging 38 to 40 bags and/ or boxes of food distributed each Monday. The heat has also lowered the numbers for Commodity’s once a month distribution. On the bright side the amount of fresh food distributed has increased because of the summer harvests.
Last month all the pantries received a share of a Redding Rancheria grant for infrastructure improvements. Our share ($333.33) will be spent on new tables, one new serving cart and repair of another cart. At the end of June an unsolicited grant for $10,000 was received and divided between the seven food pantries, the two senior centers and the Storefront for $1,000 each. While our pantry is on solid footing this grant will be a great boost to some of the less fortunate pantries.
Trinity Food Outreach
Trinity Food Outreach is a 501c3 nonprofit corporation dedicated to helping the food pantries in Trinity County. That task includes helping the Trinity County Food Bank’s food distribution system. In June two unsolicited grants were received.
The first was from the Enterprise Holding Foundation for $1,000.00. Those funds were used to purchase food at the Storefront. The Storefront is the shopping center for Trinity’s food pantries. We purchase food at reduced prices from Feeding America and we resell to the pantries at cost. That grant will purchase a pallet or more of canned food.
The second unsolicited grant was from the Schmidbauer Family Foundation for $10,000.00. As described above these funds were evenly shared with the food pantries, the two senior centers and the Storefront. Our share ($1,000.00) will be used to help with food costs which now run about $800.00 a month.
During all this heat your volunteers have been at work for the food pantry. Many also help out at Commodities distribution and Greg drives the truck once a month for Feeding America deliveries. Greg also drives a truck for the food bank to the more rural parts of Trinity when needed.
Your volunteers
Greg, Laura. Bri, Monk, Bob, Gail, Connor, Mary, Robyn and Bob

06/10/2021

Dear Friends,
Report from the Fresh Start Food Pantry of Lewiston for May, 2021

There was one Commodities distribution and four pantry distributions in May. Our numbers have continued to be low (averaging approximately 35 per Monday) compared with our pre-Covid numbers (approximately 60 per Monday). We are also now seeing a decrease in the number of younger people relying on the pantry as more people go back to work. The number of seniors, disabled and single heads of households are remaining constant. Robyn and Bob continue to make over 20 home deliveries each week. Our monthly pledges have also decreased but help from the free food coming from Feeding America has kept us afloat. In total we served approximately 175 bags of food in May.
We have opened our clothing room for free distribution of clothes and personal items. Cora does a great job in organizing the room. We have also received cases of children and adult diapers which are being distributed. These items are quite expensive and were greatly appreciated by those in need. As the virus restrictions are lifted we hope to be reopening our household room which is now overstocked. If you have household items (coffee makers, toasters, televisions, etc. ) in working order we will help get them to those who can use them.
The Summer Lunch Program begins June 14th and runs for seven weeks. This year we will be also feeding the children going to summer school in Lewiston. There are approximately 15 children in that group and the school cannot afford to hire a cook for that few children. Last year we averaged 40 children per day. The Women of the Moose run the lunch program. Laura will be distribution the lunches at the park. Trinity Trust has given four (4) grants of $500 each for community groups to have activities surrounding the lunch program. The Men of the Moose Lodge, the Lewiston Community Church, The Schoolhouse Library and the Women of the Moose have volunteered to create activities. Lewiston is the only community in Trinity County to run a Summer Lunch Program. This program keeps children fed and occupied when they are out of school.
Finally all of the county’s seven food pantries and the two senior centers have received a grant for infrastructure totaling $333.33 each to purchase items needed for their service to the community. We will be using our grant for a new food cart and repairs to an existing cart.
Once again we sincerely thank you for your support. Without your contributions we could not do what we know needs to be done.
Your volunteers
Greg, Laura, Bri, Monk Bob, Gail, Connor, Mary, Robyn and Bob

Address

Lewiston, CA

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 11am

Telephone

+537390983

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