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New Location Now In Service For Escalon C.A.R.E. Center
CARE 1
Settling in to their new location at 1601 Second St., Patti Baxter and her crew at the local C.A.R.E. Center are excited to have a larger facility for the local food cupboard. Marg Jackson/The Times

Escalon’s C.A.R.E. Center, Community Action Resources of Escalon, has settled in to some comfortable new surroundings.

They have moved a little further down Second Street, vacating the spot they had been using at the Escalon American Legion Hall for years, moving in to a building at the corner of Second and Coley, 1601 Second St., that previously housed a few different businesses.

Coordinator Patti Baxter said she and her crew of volunteers “couldn’t be happier” with the new set up, which provides plenty of room for the multiple refrigerators, shelf space and distribution area.

“It’s so bright and fresh,” Baxter said.

She added that they will be putting up more signage to direct residents until they get used to stopping at the new location.

C.A.R.E. provides emergency food for residents in need, open Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. for residents in the Escalon and Farmington zip codes in need of food.

The second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., are Senior Brown Bag distribution days for local senior citizens and the third Thursday of the month, 8 a.m. to 11 .am., is the Government Low Income Commodities Program giveaway.

Baxter said the move from the former site in the Legion Hall roughly half a block down the street was a smooth one, with volunteers from several churches helping provide the manpower. She also said the program officials are grateful for the many years they shared the building with the American Legion and are also grateful for the new site as they move forward into the future. Now, there is plenty of room for all volunteers to work, stocking the shelves, sorting the items and preparing for a busy holiday season ahead.

The recent Stuff the Bus drive through the City of Escalon in cooperation with the San Joaquin Regional Transit District will also help stock the shelves at the C.A.R.E. Center for the winter months and holiday distributions. CA.R.E. is operated through the Escalon Ministerial Association.