Lake Stevens food bank adds pop-up locales amid growth boom

LAKE STEVENS — As the city grows, so does the mission of the Lake Stevens Community Food Bank.

In the 2017-18 school year, the organization helped 13,000 people in some way, Executive Director Anne Anderson said.

In recent months, they’ve also launched two satellite locations, each hosted by local churches once a week.

Food bank satellites, also known as pop-ups, are becoming more popular, and real estate costs are a factor, Anderson said.

“It seems like it should have existed for a long time, but it seems like many of us are recently waking up to the fact that it’s a good idea,” she said.

The pop-ups tie into an expansion underway at the food bank, Anderson said. She hopes to announce details soon about a new building. So far, they’ve been squeezed into a 1,000-square-foot space, relying on the church next door for amenities.

They’ve also been adding programs. That includes a new garden, cooking classes and partnering with the Snohomish Conservation District on teaching clients how to grow fruits and vegetables.

“We’ve been out at the schools and elsewhere just really trying to talk to the community about the difference between food and real nourishment,” she said. “We focus a lot on produce and whole grains and trying to shift away from the ramen noodles and the microwave burritos.”

Satellite locations have pros and cons for food banks. It’s more expensive to transport everything, and it’s harder to wrangle the perishables. Compared with the main site, they also don’t provide as much access to resources, such as help with health care and utility bills. However, the wait times can be shorter, and the locations may be more convenient.

Many of those served by the food bank don’t qualify for state or federal assistance but still find it difficult to make ends meet, Anderson said.

“That’s our major demographic: families who are not in a good spot because of the cost of living but who never anticipated they would be in a tough spot,” she said. “… They’re people who in past generations could have gotten by with the career they had, but now it’s just not enough.”

Everything comes together thanks to volunteers — an average of 300 a week, Anderson said. One local business, Convergint Technologies, supplied 125 people for a work party in June, for example.

To learn more about the organization’s donation and volunteering needs, visit www.lakestevensfoodbank.org.

Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @rikkiking

Collect art for a cause

The annual Empty Bowls fundraiser is set for 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 13 at Team Fitness in Lake Stevens. Guests can browse and purchase handmade bowls. The bowls are art meant to remind people of hunger and need.

Sponsors and contributors include the food bank, artists, Lake Stevens School District arts programs, Lake Stevens Ankle & Foot Clinic, First Financial Northwest Bank and Team Fitness.

The event is free. Local restaurants will serve soup. More info: 425-334-3430.