COOS BAY — Now, as much as ever, the Ecumenical Emergency Food Cupboard is in need of donations to help feed the hungry. Not only are they seeing a steady stream of people in need, but donations over the next two months could help the agency to be able to feed even more of the hungry.

The food cupboard is seeking a grant that will depend on the pounds of food and money they receive in donations over the months of March and April.

“The overall share will be determined by the gifts we receive from the community,” said the food cupboard’s Jerry Stonebraker.

Stonebraker says the Ecumenical Emergency Food Cupboard, the second largest client of South Coast Food Share, is once again in the running for the Feinstein Grant to End Hunger.

The foundation, out of Rhode Island, gives millions of dollars to food programs nationwide, and is known to be the largest hunger program in our country. They allow $1 for each item of food or pound of food to be counted toward their prospective grant total.

The charitable organization’s website, at feinsteinfoundation.org, says this is the 17th year that Alan Shawn Feinstein has given $1 million to help fight hunger.

Feinstein’s past annual spring $1 million challenges to fight hunger have raised over $2 billion for more than 1,800 agencies and houses of worship nationwide helping the needy.

In 2013, Stonebraker says, the food cupboard received $305.79 from the grant. That same year they provided food boxes to 5,546 households, which included 13,919 individuals.

“We could not have done our task nearly so well without the caring people whose donations helped us through difficult times and we thank all for being a part of meeting the needs in the Coos Bay-North Bend community,” he said.

The Ecumenical Emergency Food Cupboard participates in the Oregon Food Bank and South Coast Food Share programs, and buys food when possible from local markets.

“Our food cupboard is open three days a week,” Stonebraker says, “Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from noon to 2 p.m., and we stock shelves in the morning hours of those days.”

It is located at Market and Fourth streets in Coos Bay, within the Emmanuel Episcopal Church building, across the street from the back of The World newspaper. Look for the large Food Cupboard sign above the front door.