Roxie Olsen grew up going to food banks. “I come from an impoverished background, and we did participate in food banks here in Clark County,” she said.
So the new president of the Interservice Walk & Knock Food Drive is very aware of how things come full circle. Her family moved away from Clark County when she was a child, but now she’s back. She worked as a solid waste support specialist for the city of Vancouver but got laid off. She’s not quite needing to return to the food bank for help, she said — but she isn’t exactly living in luxury, either.
“From the way I lived before, I’m rich; and I just thank God for all the things I have. I’m blessed in so many ways,” she said.
But Olsen is concerned about the people who feel a little less blessed. Times are still tougher than some people realize, but both volunteerism and food donations for Walk & Knock haven’t kept up in recent years.