WinCo foundation donates $17K to Edmonds Food Bank
Published 1:30 am Monday, December 19, 2016
EDMONDS — The Edmonds Food Bank is the recipient of a $17,346 donation from the WinCo Food Foundation.
The money will help supply the food bank for about three months with staples, such as chili, tuna, peanut butter, oats, rice, peas and beans.
Alison Cook, executive director of the Carol Rowe Memorial Edmonds Food Bank, said she first learned of the pending donation about a month ago when she got a call from WinCo’s corporate office in Boise, Idaho.
Cook said the news was not only welcome, it was totally unexpected because she had no idea the food bank was being considered for the donation.
The food bank was presented with the check Dec. 8.
The donation to the Edmonds food bank is one of 14 being made by the WinCo Food Foundation, an employee-funded organization.
Money for the donations was raised at a golf tournament, the Portland Open, held in August and sponsored by WinCo Foods.
The event raised $242,848, said Noah Fleisher, a WinCo spokesman. The money was split among food banks in the states where WinCo operates: Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Texas.
Those donations are expected to provide at least 750,000 meals, he said.
The other three food banks in Washington to receive money from the foundation are in Spokane, Tacoma and Vancouver.
None of the food banks had to apply for the money. The foundation’s board of directors made the recommendations. “We have so many stores in Washington state, we wanted to hit it a little heavier,” he said.
“As a grocery company we work with food banks all the time and we really see the need,” Fleisher said. “It’s a cause near and dear to the company’s heart.”
The Edmonds food bank at 828 Caspers St. serves up to 350 families each week and is staffed by 140 volunteers. It’s open on Tuesday mornings. For more information, call 425-778-5833 or email foodbank@edmondsumc.org.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
