Recipients grateful for Food Basket program

Beth Esposito is amazed at just how big of a heart Colusa County has.

"If I tell you (what it means) I will cry," said Esposito, one of 460 people who received a box full of food items as part of the Colusa County Food Basket program.

"I am on disability and usually run out of money before the end of the month, so this means a lot," Esposito said. "We are so blessed to be in a county that does this."

Her friend Debra Horn could not agree more.

She also is on disability and came to the Colusa County Fairgrounds on Friday morning to pick up a box of food goods as well.

"It is a great help," Horn said.

The two Colusa women were greeted by a couple dozen smiling volunteers, some directing the long line of cars that moved ever so slowly from the parking lot to the side of the Main Exhibit Building to get their boxes.

Students from Colusa Alternative High School and home-school students helped carry the boxes to the cars, while other volunteers were part of an assembly line to move the boxes along.

It was the first year Breon Jones, 19, had volunteered.

"My friend said they needed the help, so I came out to help," said Jones, who had no regrets about the decision, even after lugging dozens of the boxes to cars.

Ryan Copeland, 17, a home-school student, was the one who convinced Jones to come out. This was not his first year, and he said it is rewarding to help out.

But Friday's work was really just the culmination of a full week of sorting and boxing of the goods that had been collected over recent weeks.

Patti Hickel guided the program, which is in its 15th or 16th year. Juanita Smith and Margaret Morris started the program.

The number of boxes handed out or delivered was down from the 550 distributed last year, Hickel said.