Operated by a dedicated staff of community volunteers, the Edmonds Food Bank serves over 15,000 households annually. Fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products, and packaged items are sorted and packaged for distribution days. Donated household products and toiletries are organized and bagged. Loading carts, sorting through food orders, and distributing bags to waiting customers, Edmonds Food Bank comes alive with the hum of helping neighbors in need.
Edmonds Food Bank: A Brief History
Founded 42 years ago with only a closet in the United Methodist Church as storage, Edmonds Food Bank has been a lifeline to those in need in the greater Edmonds area. Without access to refrigerators or freezers, volunteers sorted nonperishable food items into bags, serving about 20 families per week in the early days of the Edmonds Food Bank. As the community’s needs grew through the years, the Edmonds Food Bank expanded to serve 300 families per week with fresh, healthy food, household products and toiletries.
Reaching a milestone in 2019, Edmonds Food Bank became an independent nonprofit allowing more access to grants as well as increasing community partnerships. Forming partnerships with community gardens and local farms allowed for fresher, more nutritious options for customers. “Food insecurity not only comes from the fact that you don’t eat,” Edmonds Food Bank Program Manager Lester Almanza explains. “It comes from the fact that you don’t have healthy food. One of the things I am passionate about is providing a lot of nutritious food to our customers, all the fruits and vegetables. I see it as the foundation of not only getting out of poverty but also doing good at school.”
Commitment to serving highly nutritious food to the people of Edmonds continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to strict hygiene protocols and the development of an online ordering system, there were no service interruptions throughout the pandemic years. Today, services can be accessed through an online ordering system or in-person shopping. Expanded services also include home delivery for seniors, people living with a disability or those with limited access to transportation. In partnership with local community organizations, pop-up food distribution centers make food accessible to children, families and seniors in their own neighborhoods. During the holiday season, families can also shop for children’s gifts and gift cards for middle and high-school-aged teens at the Edmonds Toy Shop, operating for one day only during the holiday season.
Addressing Food Insecurity in Edmonds
From humble beginnings to a flourishing nonprofit, Edmonds Food Bank continues to support its mission “To support those seeking food and nutrition security in the greater Edmonds area.” As food and housing prices soar in the Seattle area, so does the need for nutritious, accessible food. In 2023, the US Department of Agriculture reported that 13.5 percent of households experienced food insecurity. Reports are significantly higher than in previous years.
In Edmonds, two out of five children are food insecure, relying on help from the school-based free and reduced lunch program and community organizations such as the Edmonds Food Bank. “Food insecurity means not knowing for sure where your next meal may come from or skipping meals every day to make ends meet,” explains Executive Director and President Casey Davis. “If people want to impact lives, food is such a common and such a basic need, but yet so many people in Edmonds do not have access to it on a regular or not complete enough basis.”
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Every month, over 300 local volunteers gather to sort food, complete orders, drive to distribution centers, and perform all other tasks related to running the Edmonds Food Bank on a rigorous seven-day-per-week schedule. “We run this organization besides myself, entirely by volunteers,” explains Davis. “What it means to me, is addressing food insecurity, for me that just makes me smile at the end of the day whether I had a perfect day or not so perfect day.” If you are interested in learning how you can support the lifechanging work of the Edmonds Food Bank, please consider giving the gift of your time or money. Together, the people of the greater Edmonds area can improve the lives of their neighbors one meal at a time.
Rain or shine, seven days per week, the Edmonds Food Bank is operating to address food insecurity needs in the greater Edmonds area. One hundred twenty-five volunteers from the community gather each week with the shared value of supporting their neighbors in times of need. Please consider supporting your community and be a part of something life-changing today at the Edmonds Food Bank in Snohomish County.
