LAKE STEVENS — Things have gotten a little crowded in the Lake Stevens Community Food Bank.
Shelves line just about every inch of wall space in the back rooms of Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 2111 117th Ave. NE. The walk-in freezer has become a squeeze-in freezer filled with stacks of crates and boxes. A white canopy is set up outside on distribution days to handle the overflow of people and produce. Families coming to pick up food must wait in line, going one at a time or in small groups so they can navigate the narrow aisles inside the food bank, picking up loaves of bread, gallons of milk, cans of soup and bundles of bananas.
The food bank has leased space at Ebenezer Lutheran Church for more than 30 years. It was started by members of the congregation nearly 40 years ago before becoming a separate nonprofit.
Food bank volunteers now serve about 300 families every week and expect to serve more in the future.
It’s time for a new home with more space to grow and serve, directors say. They aim to turn a tangle of trees and bushes into a new food bank by summer 2017.
The effort to build a bigger home has been quietly in the works for several years. Before launching a formal fundraising campaign this summer, officials talked to political and business leaders in the city and started tucking away donations for a new building. Like most major campaigns, plans were rolled out slowly. They raised nearly $200,000 and bought property next to the church, then started designing a new building — a simple, 6,000-square-foot structure with two stories and lots of storage space.
Now, the food bank is turning for help to the community it serves. The goal is to raise $925,000 to build, furnish and stock the new building.
“In getting this going, the thing first and foremost is to give the community ownership of this,” food bank president Mitch Robinson said. “Our goal is to really tap into the community in any way we can.”
About 60 volunteers — “real dedicated crews” — keep the food bank running, he said. He’s looking for more volunteers who have expertise in marketing or fundraising and would like to help with the food bank’s building campaign.
Glen Moffitt has been volunteering for about six years. The volunteers and clients are like family, he said, but they’re “basically in a church basement.”
A new food bank would give them room to better serve people who need a hand, he said.
“There’s a lot of homeless and also what a lot of people don’t think about are people who are sick with cancer and stuff and their budgets have just been decimated,” Moffitt said.
After moving into the new space, Robinson expects the demand to grow at least 30 percent, which would mean serving at least 90 more families each week.
“When you provide greater levels of service, you make it OK for more people to use,” he said.
He doesn’t doubt that the fund raiser and the new food bank construction will be a success. The community has been good to the food bank, donating supplies and funds whenever needed. Robinson is constantly amazed by the generosity of donors, he said.
“We see a great future here,” he said. “We’re excited to welcome our clients to our new home.” Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com
The Lake Stevens Community Food Bank is open for people to get food from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays. It serves the 98258 ZIP code. The same family can come no more than twice a month. Donations of food are accepted Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. People can donate money online at www.lakestevensfoodbank.org or by sending a check to PO Box 1031, Lake Stevens, WA, 98258.
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