Submitted by Orcas Island Food Bank

The Orcas Island Food Bank welcomed two new AmeriCorps service members to its team this fall. Aurora Fackler-Adams and Mads Hall are the fourth round of AmeriCorps members who have served with the Food Bank.

Two previous AmeriCorps members at the Food Bank have joined on as fulltime staff. Alison O’Toole and Mary Heydron served during the 2020-2021 year, and now work as Operations Manager and Office Manager, respectively.

Aurora grew up in Bellingham and has lived on Orcas for a little less than a year. Before Orcas, Aurora lived in Brooklyn, NY for two years, where she worked for a nonprofit providing financial support to under-resourced communities. She has been volunteering at the Food Bank on and off for a year and is excited for the opportunity to join the team through AmeriCorps. She loves cooking, growing her own food, and spending time with her dog, Tuesday.

Mads also grew up in Bellingham and has been living on Orcas on and off for about two years. In the 2022-2023 school year, they taught ESL in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Before that, Mads lived in Philadelphia, where they worked for a nonprofit in food access. Mads has lived in five states and two countries. In their free time, they love hiking, yoga, and fiber arts.

The Food Bank began receiving AmeriCorps support in 2020, during the height of the pandemic. Since then, the Food Bank has grown rapidly to serve hundreds of island residents. The support of AmeriCorps workers like Mads and Aurora helps the Food Bank meet the growing need for food access on Orcas Island. Last Spring, the food bank transitioned to a grocery store model: customers come in and choose their groceries the way they would at Island Market or the Orcas Food Co-op. The Food Bank offers fresh produce options and works with island farmers to provide local options to customers. As the prices of food and other necessities have risen, the Food Bank has become even more vital to the health of Islanders and their ability to live and work here. The Food Bank depends on volunteers and financial support from the community. To learn more, please visit us at www.orcasislandfoodbank.org or call (360) 376-4445 to arrange a tour. We’re on Madrona Street, next to the Community Church.

The Food Bank is open for food distribution to all customers Tuesday and Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. is reserved exclusively for seniors.