Siskiyou Food Assistance

SFA began as a food ministry in 1986 in response to a local mill strike that exponentially affected all Weed residents. Incorporated as a 501(C)(3) in 2001, our service area has progressively grown to include all of south Siskiyou County. We rely on the support of individuals, churches, businesses, volunteers and caring individuals. In the past year, SFA has served over 900 families in eight communities. 41% of our clients reside in Weed, 25% in Montague, 17% in Mount Shasta, 9% in Dunsmuir, 3% in McCloud, 2% each in Dorris and Gazelle and 1% in Macdoel. These clients have many stories to tell about their need for food assistance; some are affected by the recent Mill Fire and many struggle with economic hardships and a rising cost of living out of their control. We are thankful for donations of cash, food and volunteer hours to address the needs of these dear people. 

The food we distribute comes from a variety of sources beyond that of our direct purchases made with your cash donations. The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints donates a significant amount of non-perishable canned foods. We are grateful for several annual food drives sponsored by local businesses and organizations. Keep an eye out for them to make it easy for you to donate canned food that we will get to those in need. Seasonal garden yields and fruit tree gleaning also contribute to nutritious options for our clients. 

Our most immediate need during this year's Giving Tuesday campaign is to raise cash for the purchase of fresh produce since our primary resource for these goods, General Produce, has closed their Siskiyou County distribution center and no longer donates the volume of produce we were able to pass on to our clients. Like most of us, the rising costs of fuel have hit our budget hard and impacted our ability to make home deliveries to those that are not able to come to our pantry to pick up food.

We are grateful to the Weed Union Elementary School District for our Pantry location; they allow us to distribute food from their annex building at a very low cost, but the clock is ticking on how long this opportunity will be available to us. Our board continues to explore options for a new-to-us facility that can meet the growing needs for emergency food assistance in south Siskiyou County. 

Please help us with a donation to continue this incredible journey!