MATTAWA - Mattawa Area Food Bank (MAFB) board members are putting out a new call for donated freezers, not refrigerators with freezers but freezers only.

"Several of the freezers we have are mostly functioning on a wing and a prayer," board member Barbara Walters said. "We have some refrigerators with freezer compartments, which are definitely inadequate."

The MAFB has walk-in refrigerator space, which pretty much takes care of refrigeration needs. However, it purchases and is donated a significant amount of frozen food or food that can be frozen after it arrives at the food bank.

"It needs to be distributed in the frozen state, thereby not incurring waste," Walters said.

Another problem is that the freezers that the MAFB has are significant energy consumers, which explodes overall food bank power usage.

"We are certainly aware that obtaining donations of the newer energy-saving models are hard to come by. So we are happy to find a home for all that we get," Walters said.

Walters noted the MAFB is now completely computerized, which makes it possible to manage resources better and more efficiently. It also facilitates keeping track of the client base in terms of numbers, children and clients with special needs.

"We were able to acquire the software written especially for food banks through a software company that writes specifically for food banks at virtually no charge," Walters said. "The hardware was generously donated by local individuals."