Attending Seaside Aquarium This Month Helps Feed the Hungry on Oregon Coast - Video

Published 12/01/22 at 6:39 PM
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Seaside, Oregon) – On the north Oregon coast this month, you can help feed those dealing with food insecurity by attending the Seaside Aquarium. With inflation and other issues compounding an already-serious hunger problem throughout Oregon, the holidays offer up more ways to help, especially here in this nearly 100-year-old facility where kooky seals are the center of attention. (Above: courtesy Seaside Aquarium)

Seaside Aquarium calls it “Feed the Seals, Feed the Community,” where it works with South Community Food Bank to provide nutritious food to families throughout Seaside, Gearhart and Cannon Beach that face food issues. So begins the food drive, now through New Year's Day from now through New Year's Day.

Patrons pay admission to the aquarium with two cans of food per person. Those are collected by the little aquarist elves, sorted and stocked on the shelves of the Seaside based food bank for clients in Southern Clatsop County.

Above: courtesy Seaside Aquarium

Darren Gooch, Board President of the South County Community Food Bank, said the “Feed the Seals, Feed the Community” along with other local food drives are critical in assisting local families and seniors that don't have regular access to the right kind of foods, especially nutritious ones. For 35 years the aquarium has been helping out.

“Food Drives like this also add a certain amount of variety to the types of food we offer and this variety is important both from the standpoint of nutrition, but also for those who may have dietary restrictions,” said Gooch.

Even more challenging is obtaining specialty foods such as gluten-free items through the normal channels of regional food banks. Some of these can be critical for those who can't consume all the regular foods.

“Food obtained through food drives and anonymous donations often contain these types of products, so we are increasingly able to meet more of the specific dietary needs of our clients,” he said.

Over the past three decades the South County Community Food Bank has grown into one of the largest food distributors in the regional Oregon Food Bank network and the Oregon coast. Volunteers assist in serving 250,000 lbs of food to over 12,000 South County individuals annually. Without such incredible community support and local food drives, the food bank would not be able to afford to continue to provide the amount of food to each family that comes through the door. Public hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays 1 pm - 4 pm 2041 North Roosevelt Drive on the East side of Highway 101 across from the Seaside High School. Shelf-stable food, fresh produce, dairy, frozen food, refrigerated food, and bulk dry food products are boxed in a three to five day supply and offered to clients.

Be sure to “Feed the Seals, Feed the Community” this holiday season by bringing non-expired food items to the Seaside Aquarium. Aquarium hours are 9 am – 5 pm every day. For more information be sure to call the Aquarium Staff at 503.738.6211.

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