Courtesy Walk and Knock

When my friends who reside in Portland claim Vancouver’s really just another P-town suburb, sometimes I find it difficult to articulate how absolutely untrue that statement is. Where do I start? Well, first we have an active volcano in our backyard. We live in the evergreen state. The other side of the river is the beaver state. Need I say more? And don’t get me started on things like our schools and sales tax. The real difference though is intangible — it’s about community. For all the growth and change that we’ve experienced as a city over the past few years, at its core Vancouver still feels like a small town. Maybe it’s our settlement roots or maybe the bridge really is a barrier, but either way connections and community here are more than rhetoric. One consummate example of our community in action will take place on Saturday, December 5th during the 25th annual Walk and Knock.

Walk and Knock was founded in the early eighties when two friends and Lions members, Bud Pasmore and Doug Rae, realized the dire need Clark County food banks were in. They organized a food drive, going door to door to collect canned goods. After the first few years the event grew too big for one organization to manage. Pasmore and Rae approached other service organizations in hopes of joining forces. Today, Walk and Knock is the largest community food drive in Southwest Washington bringing together numerous organizations from the Boy and Girl Scouts to Kiwanis and Rotary, high school groups and amateur radio clubs. In 2008, over 3,800 volunteers helped collect upwards of 141 tons of food in one day.

What makes Walk and Knock even more unique is the fact that the event is completely operated by volunteers. Walk and Knock is a 501c3 operating as a traditional non-profit but without any paid staff. Local businesses volunteer employee hours to help coordinate the event, and corporate sponsors fund administrative costs like postage and liability insurance. This means that 100 percent of donations go directly to purchase food.

Stacy Walter, current board member and past president of Walk and Knock, has been involved with the organization since 1992. He reports that he’s always a bit anxious before each walk. “We rely entirely on volunteers. The more people who come out, the more doors we can knock on, and the more food we collect.” While organizers were pleased with last year’s turnout they’re hoping for between 4,500 and 5,000 volunteers this year. “In order to fully cover the county we need a tremendous number of volunteers the day of the walk,” said Walter. “Every year we know we leave food behind because we didn’t have someone to knock in a particular part of town.” The west side has historically been harder to cover, particularly in neighborhoods near Clark College and downtown. Weather can also play a factor in volunteer turnout. Not surprisingly Walk and Knock organizers cringe at forecasts calling for rain.

The threat of showers isn’t enough to scare off most volunteers. Walk and Knock estimates that between 30-35 percent of their volunteers each year have participated in previous drives. Walters sees parents who participated as children and now bring their own children back year after year. The food drive comes at the most difficult time of the year as families experience furlough days and seasonal layoffs. Additionally, the financial burden is heightened during holiday breaks from school, when families don’t have access to free and reduced lunch. “People understand how critical this project is. Filling up the food banks can mean the difference between a family choosing to eat or pay their electric bill. I don’t know of anything in my life that has been more meaningful than watching our community come together for the collective good,” recalls Walters.

Rain or shine, Walk and Knock will commence at 9:00am on December 5th. Volunteers will canvass neighborhoods from Downtown to Salmon Creek and Fisher’s Landing to Burnt Bridge Creek. Shifts last until approximately 2:00 in the afternoon. Non perishable food items should be placed in a plastic or paper bag on the front porch in an area protected from the rain by 8:30am. The food bank recommends donating products that everyone enjoys. That includes staples like pasta and sauce, peanut butter, soups, and canned fruits and vegetables. Toiletries like deodorant, toothpaste, and shampoo are always welcome. As are baby items like jars of baby food and rice cereal. Walk and Knock also welcomes cash donations which the food banks can use throughout the year when supplies run low or to purchase commodities in bulk at discounted rates.

For more information or to sign up to volunteer visit www.walkandknock.org or call 877-99-KNOCK (877-995-6625).

Kate Dyer-Seeley is a mom, a writer, a coffee junkie and avid reader. Her column appears every other issue in The Voice.