People pick up food from the Arlington Food Bank’s Mobile Market at the Stilly Valley Center on Nov. 22, in Arlington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

People pick up food from the Arlington Food Bank’s Mobile Market at the Stilly Valley Center on Nov. 22, in Arlington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Arlington food bank’s mobile market ‘makes it more accessible’

Anyone can access fresh produce and more at rotating stops in north Snohomish County.

ARLINGTON — The mobile pantry, stocked with fresh produce and shelf-stable goods, is rolling through the Stilly Valley.

The truck’s side opens to bins of fruits and veggies, jars of peanut butter, and packages of noodles. Volunteers man the counter, passing out eggs, cheese and meat. It might look like a grocery store on wheels, but nothing here is for sale.

The mobile market is Arlington Community Food Bank’s new effort to address hunger in north Snohomish County.

Food bank executive director Carla Rankin said the truck had more than 85 customers its first week of service in early November at the Stilly Valley Center and the Stillaguamish Tribe’s Behavioral Health Center. The market is open a few hours at each stop. Anyone can take what they need at no cost.

“I would say 80% of the people didn’t even know about the food bank or where it was,” she said. “And they desperately needed health food assistance. So I think that just speaks volumes that people are really struggling.”

The food bank is working to add more stops. There’s at least six so far.

The main food bank, tucked away in an industrial area near the Arlington airport, is not the easiest or most visible location. Rankin saw these challenges firsthand when she started her job in March 2019.

“Within the first two weeks, the phone rang and rang and rang and people said ‘I can’t get there. Where are you? I can’t get there,’” she said.

She remembered visiting a bookmobile while growing up in rural Darrington. She thought of a similar concept: a “foodmobile.”

For a year, Rankin researched vehicles, looking at beer trucks and Community Transit vans. She found the perfect solution: The Farmers’ Truck, a company in New Brunswick, in northeastern Canada. The business builds mobile market trucks equipped with refrigerators and sliding display bins. A white exterior is a blank canvas for a custom design.

A selection of fresh produce and non-perishable foods available at the Mobile Market on Nov. 22, in Arlington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

A selection of fresh produce and non-perishable foods available at the Mobile Market on Nov. 22, in Arlington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

The food bank’s board approved Rankin’s plan in early 2020. She then recruited Arlington High School students to help with fundraising.

“They adopted the mobile pantry and were the initial fundraising engine behind it,” she said.

In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the students raised more than $19,000.

The city of Arlington contributed $60,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds. The food bank also received donations of $10,000 each from SMARTCAP, a real estate investment firm, and Pivotal Construction, a related construction business.

The food bank made a deposit on the truck in June 2021. Rankin flew to Maine in January to drive the mobile market back to Arlington.

But the Canada-made truck had to be cleared by U.S. Customs before it could cross the border. Rankin said the mobile market finally arrived in July after a board member and his wife drove it across the country. The journey from the truck’s origin in Moncton, New Brunswick, to Arlington was more than 3,500 miles.

Arlington company Penaway Media created custom graphics for the truck.

Food bank board member Christina Carbajal has been impressed with the mobile market since it launched. “It’s new every time you open it,” she said.

Sometimes it’s stocked with food for families (pancake mix, syrup, fruit and cereral cups). Volunteers display the day’s protein options on the counter. At a recent stop, a sign advertised Cornish game hens, ground beef, milk and eggs.

Carbajal said some are unable to access a traditional food bank because they don’t have reliable transportation or are simply unaware.

“(The mobile market) just makes it more accessible, and food should be accessible,” she said.

The mobile market needs volunteers. To volunteer, email info@arlingtonfoodbank.org or fill out an application online at arlingtonfoodbank.org.

The Arlington Food Bank’s Mobile Market truck on Nov. 22, in Arlington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

The Arlington Food Bank’s Mobile Market truck on Nov. 22, in Arlington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Visit the mobile market

Schedule is subject to change. Check the food bank’s website or Facebook page, facebook.com/ArlingtonWAFoodBank, for updates.

• Arlington Heights Fire Station: 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, 4-5 p.m.

• Oso Fire Station: 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 4-5 p.m.

• Angel of the Winds Casino Resort: 1st and 3rd Thursdays, 10-11 a.m.

• Stilly Valley Center: 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to noon.

• Arlington Public Library: 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 3-4 p.m.

• Stillaguamish Tribe Behavioral Health Programs, 2nd and 4th Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe: rotating schedule set by tribal administration

Jacqueline Allison: 425-339-3434; jacqueline.allison@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @jacq_allison.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Olivia Vanni / The Herald 
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County.
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo mayor vetoes council-approved sales tax

The tax would have helped pay for transportation infrastructure, but was also set to give Mukilteo the highest sales tax rate in the state.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring gives the state of the city address at the Marysville Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville council approves interim middle housing law

The council passed the regulations to prevent a state model code from taking effect by default. It expects to approve final rules by October.

x
State audit takes issue with Edmonds COVID grant monitoring

The audit report covered 2023 and is the third since 2020 that found similar issues with COVID-19 recovery grant documentation.

Bothell
Bothell man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Marysville middle schoolers

The man allegedly sexually assaulted three students in exchange for vapes and edibles in 2022. His sentencing is set for Aug. 29.

Larsen talks proposed Medicaid cuts during Compass Health stop in Everett

Compass Health plans to open its new behavioral health center in August. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s patients rely on Medicaid.

Snohomish County Health Department Director Dennis Worsham on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County Health Department director tapped as WA health secretary

Dennis Worsham became the first director of the county health department in January 2023. His last day will be July 3.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Mukilteo in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
On second go, Mukilteo City Council votes against sales tax hike

A veto from Mayor Joe Marine forced the council to bring the potential 0.1% sales tax increase back for another vote Monday.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Two visitors comb the beach at Kayak Point Regional County Park on Friday, June 14, 2024, in Tulalip, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Nate Nehring and WSU Beach Watchers to host beach cleanup at Kayak Point

Children and families are especially encouraged to attend the event at Kayak Point Regional County Park.

One person dead in single-vehicle fatal crash near Stanwood

A 33-year-old male was found dead at the scene Monday evening with his vehicle partially wrapped around a tree.

Logo for news use featuring Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Snohomish Regional firefighters respond to nearly 90 calls on the Fourth

While crews stayed busy on Independence Day, it was far more peaceful than other years.

Vehicles travel along Mukilteo Speedway on Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Mukilteo approves 84-acre annexation east of Speedway

The annexation of unincorporated land is expected to bring new revenue to the city as it faces budget challenges.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.