On a cold, rainy Tuesday last week, volunteer Judy Kramer took the last can of peas off the shelf. She was down to just four boxes of cereal and completely out of sugar, coffee, tea and flour.

“I’m already on family number 16,” she said hurriedly as she glanced over the request sheet. “We’ve had up to 30 families in a day. And we’re only open one day a week.”

While donations reach their all-time peak during the Christmas holiday, the need for food in the community remains constant.

“After January, the donations slow down considerably,” said Leigh Crosby, food bank director. “The need is the same all year-round. My numbers don’t change from December to May.”

She averages about 450 people per month – 160 to 170 families who use the food bank in just four hours a week.

“We have a lot of people who are living with minimum-wage jobs,” she said of why she continues to see a steady flow of customers. “There are people who can’t afford both rent and food.”

Some must make choices between eating and purchasing medications. Some families that depend on a double income find themselves in trouble when a provider gets sick and can’t work. It’s worse without health insurance.

“That’s a huge one,” said Crosby. “We also had a number of people from Thunderbird who were trying to get set up in apartments. It takes a lot of money to get into an apartment, first-month’s rent, deposit. And there’s not a lot of affordable housing here.”

According to the 2000 Census, 3 percent of Wilsonville’s population lives below the federal poverty level – more than 500 people in the community.

Wilsonville residents can help the less fortunate by participating in a food drive on May 10 to benefit the Wilsonville Community Sharing food bank.

“The “fill the bus” food drive will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 10, at both Lamb’s Thriftway, 8255 S.W. Wilsonville Road, and Albertson’s, 30299 S.W. Boones Ferry Road, in Wilsonville.

South Metro Area Regional Transit (SMART) will provide a small bus at each location for citizens to help fill with nonperishable food items.

The event is a cooperative effort among the city of Wilsonville, Albertson’s, Lamb’s Thriftway, SMART Transit and Wilsonville Community Sharing.

“This is a great opportunity for Wilsonville citizens to help others in the community,” said Mayor Charlotte Lehan. “We hope residents will step up and help to ensure we have food for those who need it.”

SMART buses will be located near the front entrance at both Albertson’s and Lamb’s Thriftway. Members of Boy Scout Troop 194 and Wilsonville High School students will provide shoppers with lists of the most-needed items, help with packing boxes and placing boxes inside the buses.

Additionally, members from the Portland Lumberjax Professional Indoor Lacrosse Team will be at Lamb’s Thriftway from noon to 2 p.m. Lauren Holmes, the new Miss Portland Outstanding Teen, will be at Albertson’s from noon to 2 p.m. Both team members and Holmes will be there to greet customers, talk about the food drive and provide a shopping list of the most-needed items.

Holmes, a junior at Wilsonville High School, is part of the Miss America program and will compete in June in Seaside for the state title.

Crosby said this type of fundraiser is particularly helpful at this time of year.

“With rising food and gas prices, I think I will possibly find more needy people out there,” she said. “I think there will be an increase in people who come to the food bank for assistance.”

She is especially low on canned fruits, cereal and chunky soups and chili. She also likes to provide shampoo, deodorant and laundry soap.

“We like to collect those types of personal hygiene items,” Crosby said.

The food bank is part of Wilsonville Community Sharing, all of which rent space at Meridian United Church of Christ. While some citizens come for food, others need help paying electric bills, finding a place to live or even a toothbrush and some laundry soap.

Crosby has a crowded approximate 20-foot-by-5-foot pantry where she can stock the shelves with canned food, cereals and noodles. She has a freezer for meat and a refrigerator for items that need to stay cold.

Each week, volunteer Scott Smith heads to the Oregon Food Bank to purchase meat at 10 cents per pound, as well as pick up government surplus items at no cost such as peanut butter, rice, juice and canned vegetables.

They also receive items from business such as Target, Rite Aid and Orepac. Xerox and the Boy Scouts donate food, and Crosby said that all Wilsonville churches also donate on a regular basis.

“Even with all that, we’re still empty,” she said. “Our cupboards are empty. Whatever I get in on Tuesday pretty much goes back out.”

Bruce Wenigmann, pastor of Wilsonville United Methodist Church, said he often refers needy congregation members to the food bank.

“It’s much more efficient for me to refer them to the food bank,” he said, adding that there is a database that keeps track of who gets what.

“That helps us to do our giving more effectively, and we can also check out their story,” he said. “People in the community can only give so much, and you want to give it to those who really need it.”

Although he sees needs fluctuating, Wenigmann said he also anticipates an increase in those seeking assistance over the next six to 12 months.

“Even with that,” he said, “the church’s most common need we see is counseling.”

Wilsonville Community Sharing has received $27,000 each year for the past two years from the city, and has $28,000 proposed in this year’s budget.

The money helps pay the rent and Crosby’s part-time salary. She relies on a cadre of volunteers to keep the food bank running smoothly.

“We’ve got a good team here,” said Smith, who has been volunteering for four years. “It can get oppressive here, you see a lot of need. Leigh gives out food with a lot of personal tenderness. She cares about them and about their needs.”