White Center Food Bank (WCFB)

The White Center Food Bank works to: serve over 3,250 families visits per month. This translates into over 9,500 individual visits - the most vulnerable women, men, and children of our community. While the recession has ended, many in our community still struggle to put Food on the table, especially with implications from the global covid-19 pandemic. The vast majority of our customers work but are still unable to meet basic needs. Low wages and the rising cost of housing and other durable goods are often cited as reasons for needing assistance. Serve those who are overlooked. White Center is an amazing place. A community finding its way. A community that has become the adopted home for refugees around the world who have fled war, cruelty, and unimaginable poverty. How does one begin a new life with nothing? Our humble Food Bank is a bridge from crisis and transition to stability. We distribute over 1.4 million pounds of Food each year. In the past three years, we have grown to a $4 million organization thanks mostly to Food donations. In addition to working with Food lifeline and northwest harvest, who help regional Food banks fill their shelves, we gratefully accept donations from local grocery stores, businesses and individuals, especially those who organize Food drives to collect items from neighbors and co-workers. We rely on the dedication of 9 full-time and 6 part-time paid staff members and 600 incredible volunteers who distribute Food, keep the Food Bank clean, pick up donations at grocery stores and businesses, translate in eight languages, do customer intake & data entry, and work in the warehouse (sorting, bagging, stocking). We address Food justice while building a stronger community through Food distribution. Our most fundamental service is to place nourishing Food on empty tables, and to do so when customers can easily reach us. In addition to our daytime hours monday 12pm to 4pm, wednesday 10am to 4pm, thursday and friday from 10 am to 2 pm (no evenings or weekends). For those who are home bound, we provide delivery service. It's hard enough when families don't know where their next meal will come from. It's even worse when new parents can't afford basic supplies like formula, diapers, and baby Food. With help from westside baby and other private donors, we are taking care of them through our baby pantry program. Through our seniors program, special distribution hours are set aside for those 60 and over: thursdays from 10 am to 2 pm. We provide foods for their health needs, like low-sodium canned goods and extra vegetables and proteins. The Food strengthens the body; the social time nourishes the soul. It's a wonderful opportunity to ease the isolation and loneliness that too many seniors face. Through our mobile Food Bank program, the mobile Food Bank program goes out to three senior and disabled low-income housing complexes bringing a full range of healthy foods to residents. Through the healthy Food gift certificate program, each customer who comes to the Food Bank receives at $5.00 voucher once a month to one of three fruit stands in White Center to be used for fresh fruits or vegetables. In addition, the fruit stand will give each customer a gilt of additional produce. This helps the customer have access to culturally appropriate produce that nourishes them. Through Emergency bags, those who need help outside of distribution hours receive pre-made bags of Food provided by the Emergency feeding program that last at least 2 days. Whether they go to someone who is homeless and out of options for the day or a woman who is running from abuse, these bags are lifelines to get through a crisis. We distribute Emergency Food bags monday-friday, 8:30 am to 5pm, through the White Center heights park commnity garden and grow2give edible landscaping. The Food Bank oversees and works in a community garden at 102nd street and 7th avenue sw where 17 families and organizations grow their own vegetables. We happily accept donations of surplus crops. To give customers even more fresh produce, we also grow Food right on our own grounds and next door at the White Center Food Bank's grow2give garden! The edible landscaping (using Food Bank landscaping for Food instead of ornamental plants) also shows customers what they can grow in a small space or container at their residence.