Showing posts with label food banks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food banks. Show all posts

Bartell Drugs customers donate $118,000 to Food Lifeline

Tuesday, July 19, 2022


Bartell Drugs says

A special thank you to everyone who donated this year to our Stock the Shelves Food Drive! Together, you helped us raise $118,000 to feed those in need in the Puget Sound

The money goes to Food Lifeline - the "food banks' Food Bank." Previously in Shoreline, Food Lifeline collects food that comes in very large amounts. Volunteers repackage the food into smaller batches and distribute them to over 250 area food banks.

When they were located in Shoreline, many local organizations volunteered there. 

They needed a larger facility and moved to a 250,000 sqft warehouse in SoDo in Seattle.

Bartell Drugs, now owned by Rite Aid, has 67 locations in the Seattle area.




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Look what's growing at Twin Ponds

Monday, July 11, 2022

 
Photo courtesy Twin Ponds Community Garden


The community garden at Twin Ponds is full of flowers this time of year as well as many pounds of vegetables for the local food bank.



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Volunteer at Hopelink Food Bank in Shoreline

Saturday, June 25, 2022

Volunteers in the Hopelink Food Bank
Hopelink Food Bank has been open in a market format since early May at its location in Ronald Commons, 17837 Aurora Ave N, Shoreline WA 98133 (enter from southbound on Aurora.

They are getting great feedback from the customers, but it takes more people volunteering to make it successful.
 
They have a handful of regular volunteers to pick up rescue groceries, get food sorted and on the shelves or in the refrigerator, and help customers when they visit - and they would love to have more!

If you are interested in helping Shoreline residents deal with food insecurity please consider a three or four hour volunteer shift once a week.
 
Go to hopelink.volunteerhub.com for information or email site manager Johnny Fikru: jfiku@hopelink.org



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North Helpline needs volunteers

Sunday, June 19, 2022

Photo courtesy North Helpline
North Helpline is looking to fill a few volunteer positions. 

Are you able to join our team?

The Positions:

Distribution Check-In and Registration

Register and check-in folks accessing our Lake City and Bitter Lake services sites during the distribution of food and hygiene items.
  • Wednesdays, 8:45-11:15am and 11:15-2:00pm
  • Thursdays, 3:45-7:00pm
  • Saturdays 8:45-12:15pm and 11:15-2:00pm
Apply: esther@northhelpline.org

Home Delivery Drivers

Deliver food boxes to community members.
  • Thursdays, 2-5pm
Home Delivery Box Packing

Pack food boxes to be delivered members of our community.
  • Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30-1:30pm
Learn More on our Website

Questions? volunteers@northhelpline.org



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Volunteer opportunities at Shoreline Hopelink Food Bank

Friday, April 8, 2022

Volunteers at Shoreline Food Bank
Photo courtesy Hopelink
After two years of pandemic adjustments, the Shoreline Food Bank is reopening for indoor distribution on May 2, 2022. 

They will be open Tuesday through Friday, working hard to serve Shoreline’s community members. 

With that said, they are actively recruiting flexible and supportive volunteers for all distribution shifts. 

They have 60 spots to fill by Tuesday, May 3. 

If you are interested, please register to volunteer through Hopelink’s website at the Volunteer Hub and take the online orientation.

If you have any questions, you are welcome to email Olivia omassot@hopelink.org or Johnny jfikru@hopelink.org

Shift times:
  • Tuesday: 9:30am-12:30pm, 12pm-3:30pm (two shifts)
  • Wednesday: 12:30pm-4:30pm, 4:30pm-7:30pm (two shifts)
  • Thursday: 12:30pm-4:30pm
  • Friday: 9:30am-1:30pm

The shifts reflect arriving 30 minutes early for prep and 30 minutes after close for cleanup. Please note that mask usage will be high encouraged but not required.

Hopelink.org Shoreline food bank is located at 17837 Aurora Ave N, Shoreline, WA 98133 behind Ronald Methodist Church.



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Fraternal organizations collaborate to aid community

Thursday, February 17, 2022

Back row (L – R): John McSweeney, US Army (Ret), Elks #1800 Veterans Committee Chair; Richard Garrison, US Navy, Elks 1800 and American Legion Post #227 Member; Richard Christianson, US Navy, Elks #1800 & American Legion #227 Member; Bruce Sagor, Elks #1800 Chaplain; 

Front Row: Sherri Pelletier, Elks #1800 Exalted Ruler; Debbie Martinson, American Legion Auxiliary #227 President; Sarah Andrews, US Navy, American Legion #227 Member.


Shoreline Elks Lodge #1800 recently donated $5,500 to the Shoreline American Legion Post #227 with the intent of providing additional, collaborative support to assist the Shoreline community-at-large, and displaced veterans in particular, to fight hunger, homelessness and COVID-19.

During the past two years, members of the Shoreline Elks and American Legion combined part of their volunteer efforts to purchase perishable food, transport it to prep kitchens and, ultimately, prepare and deliver hot meals to needy veterans and other members of the community. 

This cooperative venture was developed, in part, because of the greater difficulty each organization faced in the execution of their respective in-house large projects because of the pandemic. 

Because of various waves of the virus, there has been a significant increase in the number of people needing these services. 

When Elks volunteers heard of their partner organization’s need to replace their dying refrigeration system, the Lodge made the financial donation to purchase a new refrigerator and restore the American Legion Post’s ability to continue helping their Shoreline community.

This year alone, the Legion Post’s delivery of perishable food to Compass House's Shoreline Veterans Center amounted to150 pounds per week. Meals were served for up to four dozen individuals biweekly. 

This amounted to an increase of over 50% in the number of people served last year. The monthly home delivery of food and meals to the families of disabled and disadvantaged veterans also increased proportionally during the same period of time.

With or without the impact of COVID, the Shoreline community will continue to face the need of food assistance for the needy. 

If you would like to donate food, money or your time to help out with this program, please contact:


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Organic garden at Twin Ponds attracts butterflies

Thursday, July 1, 2021

Photo by Susan Westphal

The organic food bank garden at Twin Ponds nurtures butterflies as well as providing abundant produce for Shoreline Hopelink.

The garden is a volunteer project on land which is part of Twin Ponds Park.

The butterfly is a Western Tiger Swallowtail.


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United Way of King County, DoorDash, community partners celebrate milestone: 100,000 food deliveries completed

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

DoorDash food pantry in south King county

This week, United Way of King County celebrated 100,000 deliveries of food as they combat food insecurity across the region in partnership with DoorDash and its social impact initiative, Project DASH.

Project DASH utilizes DoorDash’s fulfillment platform, DoorDash Drive, to enable United Way and other nonprofits to reach and serve clients through last-mile delivery -- or getting the product to clients in that last leg of the journey.

This 100,000-delivery milestone was made possible by thousands of DoorDash delivery drivers, known as Dashers, as well as volunteers and AmeriCorps members.

The program is one of United Way’s valuable assets to combat food insecurity in our region, which has increased significantly during the pandemic.

Through this program, more than 2.5 million pounds of food pantry items and groceries have been delivered in all of King County to 4,100 households, ensuring that thousands of people per week have access to culturally appropriate and nutritious food. 

More than 70% of those served are people of color, who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

Locally, the program partners closely with North Helpline Food Bank and Hopelink.

DoorDash launched Project DASH nationwide in 2018 and, since then, it has grown from a few deliveries a week to over 400,000 deliveries of items, including food, mental health kits, diapers and school supplies in 2020 alone.

Even as the pandemic begins to recede, the need for reliable, nutritious food available to individuals and families who are food insecure will still remain in King County. 

To celebrate the 100,000 deliveries, which is the highest in the nation, and to further combat food insecurity, DoorDash is donating $20,000 in DoorDash gift cards through its Community Credits program to United Way of King County.

To learn more or sign up for free weekly home delivery of groceries, please click here.



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Twin Ponds Gardens are thriving - and the food bank benefits

Sunday, May 16, 2021


The Twin Ponds Garden volunteers report that it's just about time to plant tomatoes, so they cleaned out the last chard bed to make room.


We pulled the plants and harvested the rest of the leaves, netting seven pounds of chard!


We also harvested more chois, mustards, spinach and herbs, 
filling three big coolers with produce for the food bank!


And the new fact sheets for the bee house and bug hotel were installed, too.


We're getting ready for their big plant sale next week -- we'll post a notice soon!

--Photos courtesy Twin Ponds Garden



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Stolen food bank van recovered

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Stolen van has been recovered
Just after 3pm on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, the food bank van was recovered in the 5400 block of 234th St SW.

It had been stolen from the Concern for Neighbors Food Bank in Mountlake Terrace on Saturday.

It was found legally parked and unoccupied a short distance from the food bank. 

All four wheels/tires were intact. It has been trashed inside. 

The original license plate had been removed and replaced with an unreported stolen plate out of Seattle.

The unknown suspect(s) sprayed painted over the food bank lettering on the side of the van.

The van has been returned to its owner, the Concern for Neighbors Food Bank in Mountlake Terrace.

It was their second major theft in a week. The previous Monday a thief broke in to their offices and stole computers, keys, and $2,500 worth of gift cards. Because of the stolen keys, they had to replace all the locks in the building, which cost $2,000.

They are shocked, but happy to have their van back.



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Food bank van stolen from Mountlake Terrace - keep an eye out

Monday, March 1, 2021

This van was stolen from the MLT food bank

Concern for Neighbors Food Bank in Mountlake Terrace needs your help to find their van that was stolen.

They can run but they can’t hide. Please help!

The Food Bank van was stolen on Saturday, February 27, 2021 about 3:45pm. 

A man jimmied the door lock then hotwired the ignition.

The police say it might end up in an apartment or grocery store parking lot. Possibly farther away so if you can share this so it is seen as widely as possible, we would appreciate that.

Please watch for it and call either the food bank at 425-778-7227 (the food bank) or the Mountlake Terrace Police Non-Emergency 425-407-3999 if you see it.

Let's get this van back so it can pick up more donations!


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The Little Free Pantry Angels

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Every pantry is different but most - not all - have shelves and doors

It started out last April. Two friends were talking about their concerns about hungry children and families in the Shoreline School District.
 
One of them, Kim Clasen, is a fifth grade teacher at Lake Forest Park Elementary and the other, Barb Swan, has spent the last 35 years doing annual food drives for Northwest Harvest and local food banks. 

They understood the stress of families facing food insecurity, and realized the coronavirus pandemic was throwing many persons who had never before needed food assistance into the precarious balance of how to feed themselves and their families.
 
Kim, who grew up in Lake Forest Park, had heard that many of the local “Little Free Libraries” were being converted into “Little Free Pantries;” roadside cupboards where people could discreetly “Take What They Need, Leave What They Can.”

She started driving the area and found several, all of which needed filling. So Barb and Kim sent an email out to their network of friends, collected some donations of money and food, and set about filling up those pantries.

Within a matter of weeks they had a routine: Barb started collecting funds and shopping, and Kim drove the delivery route. Through word of mouth, social media and a blog post, their friends began sending Venmo donations and dropping off checks and canned food. 

Kim's van, ready for the weekly delivery run

Barb sources the best deals on hygiene and food staples. Some friends donated their government stimulus checks, some generous souls donate a bit each month, others have heard through friends and sent money for this quiet cause.

To date they have purchased and stocked over $13,000 worth of hygiene items and food staples to the Little Free Pantries throughout the Shoreline School District.

What started as a simple gift of helping local families one time has snowballed into nine months of sourcing, shopping, and delivery. 

After seeing a need for a pantry in the northern part of Lake Forest Park, the women coerced Barb’s husband into building a new pantry with materials donated by a local contractor and found a generous family to install the pantry in front of their home.

Barb logs each donation and purchase into a notebook, and has learned to source the best prices on the things they note have highest turnover in the pantries. Every week she purchases cases of peanut butter, jam, ready-to-eat meals like chili, ravioli, refried beans or hearty soup, shelf stable milk, breads, canned fruits, tuna, canned chicken, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, feminine hygiene, baby wipes, hand and dish soap. 

She sometimes receives pretty strange looks when she is loading 24 packs of maxi pads into her cart, but she has become accustomed to masking up and heading out to load up her SUV with goods every week.

After she stocks up, they transfer everything into Kim’s bright red van and over the course of the week Kim makes the rounds to the now twenty-two Little Free Pantries in the area. Sometimes the pantries are in desperate need of restocking, other times community members have filled them. 

There have been occasions where Kim has seen moms in cars with children waiting for her to drive away so they can discreetly take a few things for a meal. The two have found that our community at large has been generous to the little pantries in the area, but they note that nearly every time Kim restocks, the basic necessities and hygiene items which she delivered previously have been “shopped.” 

Simple things like shampoo and toothpaste can make all the difference to a person trying to find a job or get through a day -- and oftentimes those items are not available through community food banks.

Their intent is simple; keep their community fed and as healthy as possible in these trying times. It is an endeavor that has kept them busy through the pandemic, and grateful each day for those with generous hearts supporting their quiet undertaking.

To donate to Barb and Kim’s Angel Pantry program contact Barb at barbswmo2@comcast.net or Kim at kim@theclasens.com



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LFP Rotarians glean a truckload of apples to help fight local hunger

Monday, October 19, 2020

LFP ROTARIANS in action to support food insecurity in our community’s harvestagainsthunger.org


Harvest Against Hunger (formerly Rotary First Harvest) connects farmers, truckers, volunteers and food banks to reduce hunger and food waste by bringing surplus food from farmers to cities.

LFP Rotary volunteers traveled to Cashmere, Washington to box up apples from a local farm and bring them home to area food banks.

We filled 30 maxi bins, which is equal to 40 wooden bins - a full truckload of apples!

Join us for the fun of it... our weekly gathering is Wednesday 7:45am. We welcome guests...
RSVP robinleeroat@gmail.com

--Robin Roat



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Kenmore - Lake Forest Park food drive fills the shelves at Kenmore food bank

Tuesday, September 22, 2020


Carl Lunak, Emergency Manager, Northshore Emergency Management Coalition (NEMCO), reports that the recent Kenmore - Lake Forest Park food drive was a great success.


It was held on Thursday, September 17, 2020 at the Kenmore Fire Station.

The food bank in Kenmore is now stocked up for the next month or two. Hopelink in Shoreline is only asking for fresh produce or cash donations at this time.



Lunak said "We have offered further assistance if either of them need it."

Thanks to the community for their support!



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Drive-through food bank drive at Richmond Beach Congregational Church fills a truck

Sunday, August 30, 2020


Story and photos by Cynthia Sheridan

For the past ten years Richmond Beach Congregational Church has designated one service each month as Poverty Sunday, with an opportunity for parishioners to donate food or cash to a designated community foodbank.

Since Covid-19 has eliminated Sunday services, the church continues to support those in need by transforming Poverty Sunday into a quarterly food drive drop-off in the church parking, This quarter's donation will go to the North Food Bank, in Seattle.


Church members were able to collect one and a half truck loads by the time their drive ended, according to Beverly Hawkins, RBCC Community Outreach Board Member.



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New Little Free Pantry at Prince of Peace Church

Saturday, August 29, 2020

New Little Free Pantry at Prince of Peace Church. Photos show the pantry with the door closed and open. Photos by Dan Short


Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 14514 20th Ave NE, has added a Little Free Pantry to its property on NE 145th in the Briarcrest Neighborhood.

As always, the pantries are open to all who need them, without qualification.

"Take what you need, leave what you can."

This is the second pantry in the Briarcrest neighborhood.

Our complete list of pantries is HERE.



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WSDA continues to provide hunger relief in the state

Friday, July 10, 2020

Washington National Guard boxing food
The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) continues to provide hunger relief, as more people out of work due to COVID-19 are experiencing food insecurity.

The agency reports it distributed more than 1 million pounds of food to more than 192,000 Washingtonians this week.

The WSDA this month provided $6.3 million of federal CARES Act funding to hunger relief organizations for food purchases, freezers, storage trucks and other operational needs. 

Additionally, more than 450 National Guard members have helped support 30 food banks across the state by boxing and food and assembling meals. Since the beginning of the agency’s response to the pandemic, soldiers and airmen have helped process 35 million pounds of food.



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United Way of King County and Food Lifeline are now offering home delivery of emergency food boxes

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

United Way of King County and Food Lifeline are now offering home delivery of emergency food boxes across Seattle, North King County, and East King County during COVID-19. This resource is available to anyone who: 
  • Lives in Seattle, North King County, or East King County
  • Is unable to access their local food bank in person
  • Is unable to afford groceries
This resource is intended for and may be the only food solution for many of our most vulnerable community members who have food needs and cannot leave their homes during COVID-19.

We are encouraging folks to visit their local food banks if they are able. In addition to on-site food distributions, many local food banks also operate home delivery programs, and may be able to provide a more customized food selection to clients. Find a nearby food bank HERE.


To order a food box from United Way, fill out this online form, or call us Toll-Free at 833-540-0800, Mondays to Fridays from 11am-4pm. 

Ordering is now open, and we are making deliveries Monday through Friday during the day. We hope to deliver boxes 2 to 3 days after the request is received, and requests received on Thursday or Friday will be delivered the following week. 

Right now, we have capacity to provide 300 deliveries per day. If requests exceed this, we may adjust the delivery timeframe, eligibility requirements, or frequency of orders.

Some additional information about this service:
  • What’s in a food box? This offers preset 15-25 lb variety cases of shelf-stable foods from Food Lifeline. These may include canned meals, canned fruit, canned veggies, pasta, and other miscellaneous items. One box is estimated to feed a family of four for approximately 2-4 days. We are currently unable to meet individual allergy and dietary needs.
  • Households can reorder as often as they need. At this time, households can order up to three food boxes per delivery.
  • The phone line to order includes a language line for interpretation, and our online ordering form is available in the following languages: English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Chinese (simplified), Somali, Amharic, and Russian.
  • Right now, we are only able to deliver within the City of Seattle, North King County, and East King County. This is due to how the state has structured allocation of these food boxes from Food Lifeline. We are working to expand to South King County, and will update you as we are able to do so. If you have questions about a particular zip code, let us know and we can confirm eligibility.

If you are interested in distributing larger quantities of food boxes to your clients at a central drop site, please reach out to Claire Brown at clairebrown@uwkc.org.


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Rod Dembowski and The EastWest Food Rescue

Saturday, May 30, 2020

Rod and Kenmore Mayor David Baker on last Friday’s EastWest Food Rescue trip to Othello
Photo courtesy office of Rod Dembowski


From King county councilmember Rod Dembowski

In late April, Bothell community member George Ahearn learned that farmers in his Eastern Washington hometown of Othello were prepared to destroy crops that they were unable to distribute because of the pandemic. 

George knew so many of his neighbors in King County were struggling and could use help, so he alerted community members and within days EastWest Food Rescue came together to save produce and deliver it to those in need.

In less than a month since its inception, the EastWest Food Rescue has saved and delivered over 300 tons of produce, serving 70 thousand households in need.

Last Friday I joined a crew of volunteers, including Kenmore Mayor David Baker and Woodinville Mayor Elaine Cook, on the now weekly food rescue mission to Othello. The convoy included three trucks from King County, and trucks from private businesses as well.

Volunteers bagging potatoes
Photo courtesy East/West Food Rescue
 

It was a spirit-lifting day of volunteering and I enjoyed the opportunity to drive 10,000 pounds of beautiful Washington red onions from Othello back to King County. We topped off supplies at the Northshore senior center that day. 
------

The previous week, Dembowski personally delivered 600 pounds of onions and potatoes to the Shoreline - Lake Forest Park Senior Center (see article)

If you’d like to learn more or volunteer for the EastWest Food Rescue, please visit their website or Facebook page.



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Case updates May 22 and Inslee letter requests extension of National Guard mission

Saturday, May 23, 2020

National Guard make food deliveries to food banks
Photo courtesy military.com


Another 148 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Washington, bringing the total number of cases to 19,265, including 1,050 deaths, according to the state Department of Health.

Inslee letter requests extension of National Guard mission

More than 1,200 soldiers and airmen are supporting the state’s COVID-19 response. As of May 20, 2020, the Washington National Guard has delivered more than 1 million meals to struggling families at food banks across the state, tested nearly 2,300 people at community-based testing sites, and built more than 30,000 test kits. 

Gov. Jay Inslee sent a letter today to the Trump administration requesting an extension of authority and additional funding for Washington National Guard employment in support of COVID-19 pandemic emergency response operations through July 31, 2020.

Case updates

United States
  • 1,571,617 cases
  • 94,150 deaths
Washington state
  • 19,265 cases
  • 3,230 hospitalizations
  • 1,050 deaths
King county
  • 7,697 up 52
  • 537 deaths up 3
Shoreline
  • 356 cases
  • 54 deaths
Lake Forest Park
  • 31 cases
  • 0 deaths



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