Volunteers Assemble Humanitarian Food Boxes for Hope Center

OROVILLE, CA (MPG) - Keith Stutznegger, retired Oroville dentist, and his wife, Susan, are becoming experienced humanitarians.  After the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, Keith and Susan were tasked with organizing a community work project to assemble 5,000 food boxes for fire survivors.  A few weeks later, when greater need became apparent, the Stutzneggers organized an additional project to assemble 2,500 boxes.  The boxes were donated to the Hope Center in Oroville, a non-profit organization that distributed the commodities throughout the county to several food closets.

When the North Complex Fire burned through Berry Creek and other residential areas, the Stutzneggers were quick to realize the need for more food boxes.  They contacted Latter-day Saint Charities, the humanitarian arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and asked for a shipment of boxes and food items.  They brought Brian Cherry on board, who has become an expert at training volunteers and organizing the assembly line.  Also helping with logistics were Pacific Coast Producers, Shifflet Brothers, Recology, Lee Trinnaman, and Blane Sannar.

About 75 church youth gathered the previous evening to tape up and stack the boxes.  The next morning, over 300 volunteers showed up to create boxes of basic food items such as peanut butter, jelly, pasta, tuna, and cereal.  There were volunteers stationed at pallets, ready to place each food item in a specific location in each box in order to maximize every square inch. Other volunteers grabbed an empty box and walked pallet to pallet, finally giving the precisely filled box to other volunteers who taped it closed and stacked it on pallets.  The 1,500 boxes were completed in less than an hour.

This third and latest food box project brought together volunteers from the Hope Center, Jordan Crossing Ministries, Oroville Rotary Club, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Also attending were California Assemblyman James Gallagher, Butte County Supervisor Bill Connelly, and Oroville Mayor Chuck Reynolds, who all grabbed empty boxes and walked the assembly line.

As before, the Hope Center, managed by Larry and Stephanie Hayden, will distribute the boxes to area humanitarian groups helping fire survivors navigate their recovery.  In Gridley, the St. Vincent de Paul food closet at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, managed by Sara Marquez, and the Camp Fire Distribution Center in downtown Gridley, managed by Lynne Spencer, will also receive food boxes.

Justin Tolman, President of the Gridley California Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said, “What a beautiful sight to see car after car arrive with people of all ages ready to help. It was a great way for people of many faiths in the community to unify for a good cause. We all grieve for those who evacuated and for those who have lost their homes. This project was just a small act which allowed us to help.”