ICCS Passes!

The Iron County Care and Share has had two audits and a USDA inspection this last week and all three reported that the ICCS was up to par. Great job ICCS employees! We appreciate you!

ICCS Turns One!

Thanks again to all who helped with the birthday party arrangements. It was a fun event. We were pleased to hear Bill, our director, announce that the Rummage Sale brought in over $1,300 for the Care & Share. Thank you Gayle Horn and the Episcopal Church!

Here we are one year ago:

Front Page in the Daily News!

Thanks to everyone who helped out with the ICCS Birthday Party on Friday. We were delighted to see members of the community and the Daily Press there as well.

Here is a link to our article in the newspaper today! Looks like our attempts to increase public awareness are working!

http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080927/NEWS01/809270329&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

Here is a copy of the article:

CEDAR CITY - Dawna Robinson started working as a food bank coordinator at the Iron County Care and Share because she wanted to help people.

Thanks to a slumping economy, she's helping more people than ever.


Robinson and other members of the Care and Share team celebrated a birthday Friday, commemorating the opening of its new facility one year ago. The new building has made the logistics of storing, managing and distributing food and other goods a lot easier - good timing, considering the demand for food, shelter and other aid has increased by 35 percent since January.

"We've definitely seen a lot of new faces around here," Robinson said. "We're getting 30 to 50 new applicants per week."

According to Department of Workforce Services statistics, unemployment in Iron County increased 1.3 percent from August of 2007 to August of 2008, and construction jobs have taken the biggest hit.

"It's not always easy [making ends meet]," said Joel Lopez, a construction worker who said he has been working away from Cedar City much of the time this year. "That's just where things are at."

Add in rising food costs, gas costs and other associated costs, and households that were scraping by before can no longer make it without some help, said Bill Woods, executive director of the Care and Share.

"We've got more people in the homeless shelter than ever before," he said. "We've got more people asking for assistance and food boxes than ever before. It's just really skyrocketing, and our resources aren't there."

Woods said Care and Share has always helped those at the lowest income levels in the community, but lately people on the next rung up are starting to come in, working people who are simply unable to make ends meet.

In addition, when people have fewer discretionary funds they are less likely to make donations, and the number of regular monetary donations to the Care and Share has been dwindling, Woods said.

Regular food drives still bring in a lot of donations and community response is always positive, Woods said, but when the Care and Share is distributing 25,000 pounds of food every month, it's hard to keep up.

"The danger we're facing, and the tightrope I'm walking, is that you feel like you can only go ask so many times," Woods said.

Care and Share typically brings in about 80 percent of its donations between October and January, Woods said, but this year's holiday season could put a squeeze on the facility's resources.

"The generosity is without question there," he said. "The problem is, so is the increase in need."

ICCS Rummage Sale

Please don't forget about the ICCS Rummage Sale this Saturday, September 20th beginning at 8am sponsored and hosted by the St. Jude's Episcopal Church located at the corner of 200 West and Harding in Cedar City. Your donations will gladly be accepted from 9am-12 noon at the church Monday-Friday. Additional drop off times may be arranged by calling the church at 586-3623. All benefits will be graciously donated by the church to the Iron County Care & Share to benefit the hungry and disadvantaged in our community. Thank you.

Vegetables Coming Out Your Ears???

It’s that time of year again! Time to make sure you lock your doors if you ever leave your house, lest you come home to a counter filled with overgrown squash from a generous neighbor (or several for that matter) who have grown more than they can possibly eat. The Iron County Care & Share would like to suggest a place that is willing to take any amount of home grown fruits or vegetables off your hands. The new Care and Share Food Bank is located just north of the cemetery, at the end of 900 North (222 West). There you will be able to leave the fruits (and veggies) of your labors in good hands to be distributed to families in need.