By KATHLEEN O’CONNOR/YachatsNews
Many residents of the central Oregon coast are committed to helping their neighbors and their communities in many arenas — food, lodging, clothing, education, art, the environment, safety. A complete list would be long and impressive.
What is it that drives people to help others, and in doing so, to buttress their communities?
Sherri Seaman and Joyce Adams are two of these unsung and steadfast volunteers. They run the Saturday morning breakfast and food box program at Waldport Community Presbyterian Church. Each Saturday 120-130 breakfasts are served, and food boxes are given out that will feed 130-140 people. Seaman has been a volunteer for 13 years and is responsible for the food box program. Adams has been a volunteer for four years and is responsible for the breakfast program.
They each spend 15-20 hours a week taking care of their end of the operation and coordinating with one another. Seaman plans what will be available for the food boxes based on what meat items are on sale and what donations have been received. Each week she tries to provide the “makings” of large, stretchable dinner, including everything needed for a main dish and fresh or frozen produce. Lunch foods are also provided, especially when school is not in session, and so are breakfast foods, dessert items, and milk.
Adams plans the breakfasts which include a protein item, a bread item, fresh fruit, yogurt, juice, sometimes milk, and almost always a treat, maybe a sweet roll. Adams does most of the shopping, racing around the county to pick up each week’s donations.
Seaman has lived in Waldport since 1994 and works part time as a caregiver for intellectually and developmentally disabled people. In 2001 she suffered a major stroke and heart attack simultaneously and has no memory of her life before that. Her recovery was long, complicated and successful. Now she is battling cancer. Although her recovery has been long and complicated, so far it is equally as successful.
Adams moved to Waldport in 2019 with her husband, Rick, after living in upstate New York for 35 years. They had lived in Eugene for the first nine years of their marriage and fell in love with the Oregon coast. In New York, Adams worked at her friend’s U-pick fruit farm, planting, picking, and selling apples, blueberries, plums, and strawberries. She helped coordinate the work of 10 to 15 regular and seasonal employees, good training for managing the volunteers who help at the church on Saturday mornings.
Question: What is your primary reason for giving so much of your time to this program?
Seaman: Because I nearly died in 2001, I try to pay close attention to where and how God is telling me to be. I believe that He sent me back, and I believe it’s my responsibility to serve Him through service.
Adams: I am grateful for all the blessings in my life, and I believe strongly in the power of communities. I believe that the more we strive to share our talents the stronger all of us will be.
Q: Like many churches, membership in Waldport Community Presbyterian is much smaller than it used to be. How does your small church manage to continue to provide these food programs?
A: The entire congregation views this program as one of our top priorities. We are committed. Every week our volunteers include people from our congregation, people from other local congregations, people who aren’t attached to any church, and some of the people we serve. We absolutely could not do this without their support, help and enthusiasm. Each week without fail 15-20 people show up to help.
Q: How has the Saturday breakfast and food box program changed over the years?
A: The program has a long history, and it has really changed and adapted over time. DaNoble House started offering breakfast foods first, but they couldn’t offer hot food because they didn’t have a kitchen. Our church took over about 12 years ago because we did have a small kitchen and could offer hot food. With the blessing of other local churches, we decided to build a new commercial kitchen to be able to expand the program. The new kitchen was completed in 2015, just in time for Sherri and her husband, Eric, to celebrate their marriage here. It is used for many reasons/events besides the breakfast and food box programs.
The program changed dramatically when Covid hit in 2020. Prior to that it had solely been a breakfast program, but during Covid people found they couldn’t get out to go shopping, and the need was acute. Almost overnight we found we were putting together small food boxes that we would hand out through the window in the kitchen, and soon we were serving more and more people. After Covid the need did not diminish, and we continue to serve as best we can.
Q: What challenges do you face each week as you get ready for Saturday morning?
A: Our biggest worry every week is that we’ll run out of food. That hasn’t ever happened because we do have back up supplies, but nevertheless, we worry about it every week.
Many of our clients are “regulars”, and one of our challenges is to try to be aware of their challenges. Sometimes they need extra attention, extra help, extra kindness. There are more and more multigenerational families in Waldport that need our assistance. We direct people to other resources in the county whenever we can.
Q: How is the program funded and where does the food come from?
A: The church budgets for this program, of course, and we also receive funds from several other churches on the central coast. Many individuals in the area make donations, and our pastors work hard to find additional funding sources.
The money goes to buy meat that’s on sale and anything else that will supplement our meals. We’re always looking for bargain basement prices on good food. We’re regulars at Grocery Outlet, Walmart and Chef’s Store in Newport. The staff in those places will tell us where the bargains are. We also make regular trips to Winco and Costco in the valley. Food Share of Lincoln County gives us eggs, juice, and milk. C&K Market in Yachats gives us donations every week, and Ray’s often gives us bread on Saturday morning.
Tell us a secret:
Seaman: We share our pastors, Mark and Wendy Olson, with the Chapel by the Sea in Lincoln City. Mark and Wendy live in Lincoln City on Devil’s Lake. Our whole congregation thinks that is quite a good joke.
Adams: I bought one gnome for my garden when we moved here four years ago. It has morphed and multiplied many times over, and now my whole property is overrun with gnomes.
- “5 Questions and a Secret” appears every other week on YachatsNews. Have a suggestion for a subject? Send your ideas to YachatsNews@gmail.com
- Kathleen O’Connor is a Waldport freelance writer who can be reached via email at kmoc8916@gmail.com
Love this article Kathleen. What a nice eighth career.