Juanita Medeles is one of the few people who doesn’t think that
her years of volunteering with San Benito County’s Community Pantry
is extraordinary.
Hollister – Juanita Medeles is one of the few people who doesn’t think that her years of volunteering with San Benito County’s Community Pantry is extraordinary.
“I just help out, whatever needs to be done,” said Medeles, a Hollister resident.
Medeles was named San Benito County’s Hunger Fighter of the Year – an award given by Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties to honor a county resident who has dedicated their time to fighting hunger in their communities.
“I’m still in shock I guess,” Medeles said. “I didn’t realize that I was doing so much.”
Though Medeles is modest about her service, Community Pantry Director Mary Anne Hughes says her contributions have been remarkable.
“She’s very dedicated to the pantry,” she said.
County residents nominated seven locals, including Medeles, for the award this year. Medeles was then chosen by a panel of local leaders and community members.
A Hollister resident since 1956, Medeles, 82, spent many years working in the fields and fruit sheds of California’s Central Coast. She began volunteering at the Community Pantry six years ago to give her something meaningful to do after her mother died. Since then, she’s volunteered at the pantry every week, sorting and packaging food and doing whatever else she can to help.
For about 15 years, the Community Pantry has collected and distributed food to the local hungry. The organization works with Second Harvest to provide food to thousands of people in San Benito county. The pantry provides food for about 850 families per week.
Those who know Medeles say that helping others is something that comes natural for her.
“She’s the oldest of seven children, and she was momma’s helper. She’s always been a helper,” said sister-in-law Gloria Medeles, who also lives in Hollister. “I think it’s wonderful, it’s beautiful. We’re all really proud.”
Hughes said that Medeles has been a loyal volunteer to the pantry, dedicating nearly 2,000 hours to the organization’s mission of feeding the local hungry.
“She’s been very, very faithful. She’s been here every week,” Hughes said. “She’s very helpful with other people and sells our program. She’s just fun to have around.”
If it wasn’t for volunteers like Medeles – a bout 100 total – the pantry wouldn’t be able to do the important work of providing sustenance for those in need, Hughes said.
“If we didn’t have our volunteers we couldn’t do it,” she said.
Medeles will be honored during a reception March 30 at Leal Vineyard in Hollister.
While Community Pantry and Second Harvest will come together to celebrate the work of their volunteers, the pantry has something else to celebrate. After months of looking for a new location, the pantry has found a likely prospect for its new home. Even more importantly, the Hollister Redevelopment Agency seems inclined to offer financial help so the pantry can get settled.
For more than a decade, pantry volunteers worked out of a building at the Hollister Municipal Airport. In December, the organization was told that it would have to find a new home because Federal Aviation Administration regulations prohibit non-aviation operations using airport property.
For a time, the future of the pantry was uncertain – the city let the pantry use the airport building rent-free, and the organization has little money to pay rent or build a new facility. The pantry has located a suitable building in downtown Hollister on Hazel Street, and RDA board members said that they supported the use of RDA funds to help the pantry remodel the building and cover operating costs for a couple of years.
The remodel will cost about $125,000, according to Development Services Director Bill Avera. Operating costs, including about $1,300 in rent, will be about $25,000 each year, he said, adding that after a few years the Community Pantry will likely find alternative funding sources.
“I think this is a very worth cause,” Councilman Doug Emerson said. “I certainly would support this.”
Luke Roney covers local government and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at [email protected].
