Faith Food Bank to close, replacement uncertain

EVERETT — Every Friday morning, about 200 cars line Madison Street to Evergreen Way, waiting to pick up a box of food.

But in a little more than two weeks, the people in those cars will have to find somewhere else to go.

On May 9, Faith Food Bank, located just behind Faith Lutheran Church in Everett on 6708 Cady Road, will give out food for the last time.

When its founder, Roxana Boroujerdi, started the food bank nearly 13 years ago, she saw about 20 cars per week. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Boroujerdi saw the community’s need for food increase. First, it jumped to 100 cars. Eventually, 300 cars were showing up each week.

“I thought that after COVID was over, the need for food would go down, but it really hasn’t,” she said.

Now, the food bank still sees about 200 cars each week. Each car gets one box, no questions asked, that has enough food to feed a family of four. The contents of the box vary each week, but usually include a protein, bread, fruit, canned goods and more.

The food bank also provides food every Tuesday for a community dinner, which may now be in jeopardy. More than 50 people attend each week.

The closure stems from a disagreement regarding the food bank’s lease with the church.

A few months ago, the church came to Faith Food Bank with a new lease agreement, which included a rent payment. Up until then, the food bank had not been asked to pay rent, and couldn’t afford it, Boroujerdi said.

Pam Karas, Faith Lutheran Church’s pastor, said the church needs the money.

“There’s a lot of maintenance, in general,” Karas said. “We’re not rich, we need a little.”

According to Boroujerdi, the church told her she could not post on Facebook to explain the situation and solicit donations for the food bank to pay the rent.

“I’m not giving away my constitutional rights,” she said.

But Faith Lutheran Church’s Congregation President Ella Tuininga, said the church did not tell Boroujerdi to refrain from asking for donations.

Boroujerdi, a member of the church for 13 years, decided to not sign the lease.

“I told them that I didn’t think this was very Christian, to close a food bank or to charge me money, and I told them I’m not going to be a member here anymore,” Boroujerdi said.

She said she’s moving to Virginia soon to get away from the stress of the job.

The closure comes at an uncertain time for federal food bank funding. In March, the United States Department of Agriculture canceled a $4.7 million food delivery to Washington state. The cancellation came after the department cut two programs that provided funding for schools and food banks to buy food from local farmers. About $22.3 million would have gone to Washington state, according to a recent statement from U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.

In 2022, more than 80,000 people faced food insecurity in Snohomish County, according to data from Feeding America.

In addition, Congress is mulling $230 billion in proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. About half of Snohomish County residents qualified for the program in 2022, according to Feeding America.

Nearby food banks may see an increase in demand once Faith Food Bank closes its doors.

Not far north of Cady Road, a mobile food bank, Salt of the Earth Food Blessing, also sets up on Fridays at 4634 Alger Ave. Organizers are worried they’ll see 200 more cars on May 16, the first Friday without Faith Food Bank. They don’t have enough resources to supply that kind of demand, Salt of the Earth Food Blessing spokesperson Alyson Cork said.

“It’ll have an immense impact,” she said. “The need is so great, it’s going to be really difficult.”

It’s unclear what comes next for the space behind the church. Before any decision is made, Karas said she wants to have the space inspected. The building used to be a day care and never received an inspection before the food bank opened, Tuininga said.

“We’re not saying that we’re not going to have another food bank,” she said. “We just don’t know at this time.”

Earlier this month, the church had a conversation with God’s Glory & Courage Ministry, a mobile food bank based in Marysville, about taking over the space. Boroujerdi also proposed the idea of having Salt of the Earth Food Blessing move into the space.

Before an inspection, the church is asking Faith Food Bank to clear its equipment from the building, including a number of heavy fridges and shelves.

“We need to know that the building can hold it, and to do that, you’ve got to see the floor underneath,” Tuininga said.

But it would be more difficult for a mobile food bank to move into the space without the equipment, said Boroujerdi and Alexis Cogan, who has volunteered with the food bank for four years.

“The reason this is an ideal situation for (mobile food banks) is because this infrastructure exists,” Cogan said.

Former Faith Lutheran Church member Bronwen Zavala stopped donating to the church a couple of days ago after she heard about the food bank closing.

“Eighty percent of all the work is already done, and the church is being handed this on a silver platter, only because Roxana is moving,” Zavala said. “It’s tragic and horrible that it’s not going to be taken over and maintained by someone to help out people who are desperately in need.”

For many, volunteering at Faith Food Bank is a way to connect with the community. About 24 volunteers help out every week, Cogan said. In addition, the food bank gets many volunteers from local high schools and people who need community service for legal reasons. For some, it’s the only social interaction they get all week, Cogan said.

“It would just be really, really sad if this closed because nobody can come to an agreement to let this move forward,” she said.

All of the regular volunteers are willing to stay on under new leadership, Cogan said.

“I know (Boroujerdi) is very special to the volunteers, and they’ve done a wonderful job,” Tuininga said. “but we have to have the building inspected and make sure that it’s insurable before we can rent to a new person.”

Faith Lutheran Church doesn’t have a set timeline yet for moving forward with the inspection and finding another organization to fill the space, Tuininga said.

“After all this, we just need to sit back and take a breath and see where God’s leading us,” she said.

Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.