By Mary O’KEEFE

The Bailey Center food bank in Tujunga continues asking for the public’s help for donations. For years the Bailey Center food bank, a service of the United Methodist Church of Tujunga, has been helping those in need.

This Saturday there will be two food donation opportunities for the Bailey Center both located at St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church. The Crescenta Cañada Lions Club will be collecting items near the church’s parking lot on Cross Street just east of Rosemont Avenue from 10 a.m. to noon. Crescenta Valley High School’s Academy of Science and Medicine will also be collecting donations in front of the Fire House youth center at 2563 Foothill Blvd. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic volunteers were serving about 300 individuals . They provided food, clothing and toiletries. They also had scheduled mobile showers for the unhoused. When the pandemic hit, volunteers at the Bailey Center saw an increase in need. Because of pandemic restrictions they could no longer offer its free clothing store and the mobile showers were not available. So volunteers turned their focus on food.

Bailey Center went from providing food to 300 individuals to, most recently, giving groceries to over 350 families, equalling over 1,000 individuals.

The Bailey Center gives those struggling individuals and families a little relief by packing up grocery bags and handing them out every Wednesday; however, keeping the food shelves full has been a challenge.

In addition to non-perishable items like canned goods, cereal, pasta and spaghetti sauce, plastic grocery bags are also needed to contain the items.

Anyone who can and would like to donate but cannot make the Saturday donation events can do so by bringing their items to the Bailey Center, which is supported by the United Methodist Church, at 9901 Tujunga Canyon Blvd. in Tujunga. Volunteers are there to receive donations on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Items can also be dropped off at the CVW office, 3800 La Crescenta Ave. #206, La Crescenta/Glendale. Donors can call the office at (818) 248-2740 during regular office hours (M-F, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) to be directed where to drop off donations.

  Mary Okeefe