Cookbook author Diana Butts, left, fills out an application for Amy's Kitchen along with more than 500 hopeful applicants at the Medford library Tuesday afternoon. (Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell)

Hundreds of job seekers filled Medford's library Tuesday afternoon, hoping to score a position at a new Amy's Kitchen factory scheduled to open here in October.

The plant, in Whetstone Industrial Park in Medford, figures to hire more than 300 employees over the next four months. The company held a job fair at the library to recruit managers, supervisors and other workers.

Even though many had to wait close to two hours to turn in an application, the crowd seemed in good spirits — even after all of the applications disappeared, forcing Amy's Kitchen personnel to head out for more copies.

"We're all here looking for something new in this valley," said one young man, who did not want to be named.

"Yeah, like a union, benefits and hopefully higher pay," added Robin Shaw, who has worked for seven years for Harry and David, the specialty gift retailer that employs hundreds at its Medford packaging facility.

In fact, most of the people in the line that snaked through the library's main hallway had just come off a shift at Harry and David.

"I would say I work with about 75 percent of the people here," Shaw said.

Many explained how difficult it is to find well-paying, full-time work in Southern Oregon, which has some of the highest property and gasoline costs in the country.

Last August, corporate human resources director Cindy Gillespie indicated wages will be comparable to those paid in the company's Santa Rosa, Calif., plant, ranging between $9 to $12 an hour for entry-level positions to $20 for skilled workers.

When the new applications finally arrived, much of the joking and shop-talk stopped, as people set about filling out paperwork. Many used the nearest wall for support or plopped down on the floor.

"It's all about survival," Shaw added. "It's hard to survive in Medford now, let me tell you. There's plenty of minimum wage jobs, but not a lot of ones that pay a living wage, especially if you don't have a college degree."

Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4471, or e-mail cconrad@mailtribune.com.