Tenino Food Bank Plus

Tenino Community Service Center/Tenino Food Bank Plus is a deep-rooted community-based service center dedicated to feeding those within the Tenino School District (Tenino and Bucoda) that may be disadvantaged. In addition, our mission is to partner with many outreach programs to help those struggling to meet the demands of daily life within the Tenino and Bucoda communities. In 2022 we partnered with Thurston County Emergency Management and Thurston County Health Department to host many vaccine clinics in Tenino and Bucoda. We also help in setting up home-site shut-in vaccines. Tenino Community Service Center gives a Bi-monthly report of current happenings to the City of Tenino. In 2022 Tenino Community Service Center implemented our Workforce Training Program to help kids with disabilities coming out of high school. Tenino Community Service Center offers daily sack lunches Monday-Friday to kids that fall well below the poverty range with little to no resources during winter, spring, and summer school breaks.

High School Student Education Scholarship - This program was inactive in 2022

Workforce Training Program: Tenino Community Service partnering with Tenino School District and Morningside employment to hire part-time Tenino students just coming out of high school and, in the future, those still in high school, within the special education program that identify as special needs. In 2022, TCSC hired our first recent Tenino graduate student. TCSC is dedicated to servicing the community of Tenino/Bucoda and the surrounding area, allowing us to grow as the community grows. Providing employment that meets this employee's abilities for success, heightened self-esteem, community, ownership, accountability, and being a productive member of society. These students will be working at the food bank, learning aspects of food insecurity distribution at a basic level. The program will do several positive things for the surrounding communities of Tenino and Bucoda. Students that identify as special needs graduate from high school between 18 and 21 and are faced with minimal resources to obtain meaningful part-time work within Tenino and Bucoda. Our communities do not have the business to support these individuals and their job coaches along with the lack of transportation is daunting, leaving them little hope for employment. Finally, the lack of jobs causes these individuals tremendous damage to their mental and physical health. This program will allow those coming out of Tenino High School in the special education department that identifies with special needs to obtain part-time employment, hands-on training, and a nurturing environment within the Tenino City limits. Giving these folks the ability to work, learn, and be productive members of our community. The students/graduates will learn how to properly sort canned goods for storage and distribute them at the food bank, sort and learn about fresh fruit and vegetables, and bag them for distribution. Tenino Community Service Center has a solid partnership with the district superintendent, the class instructors, and the multi-levels of Morningside employment. Tenino Community Service Center looks forward to expanding this program into the future.