FISH Wrap

Looking back, looking ahead

2012-01-12T14:44:00.000-08:00

2011 was quite a year for FISH, and we continue to be immensely grateful for all the friends, volunteers, donors and supporters who make our work possible.

A few highlights:

In 2011 we served more than 450,000 Pierce County residents, a 25% increase over 2010.
We distributed approximately 7,500,000 pounds of donated food.
We added a new food bank: Key Peninsula Lutheran Church joined our organization in April and is now Key Peninsula FISH.
With generous support from The Thompson Foundation and Mountain Construction, we added 1,000 square feet of badly-needed storage space at Southeast FISH.
Under the leadership of board member Mike Mowat, we began piloting a mobile food bank project designed to reach pockets of poverty around the county where there is high need and no nearby food bank.

And we're already planning big things for 2012:

The mobile food bank is now serving at three different sites each week, with more to be added: Giaudrone Middle School (Mondays 4:30-6:30 p.m.), Bethel High School (Wednesdays 4:30-6:30 p.m.) and Northeast Tacoma Elementary School (Fridays 4:30-6:00 p.m.).
Our board of directors is planning its first fundraising event. The dance, featuring the music of Daryl and the Diptones, will be held on Saturday, April 28 at the Landmark Convention Center in Tacoma.
Thanks to a new and growing partnership with Bethel School District, we will be opening a new food bank in July 2012 on the campus of the former Spanaway Elementary School.

It's going to be another big year, so keep watching this space for more news!

More from the mobile food bank

2011-11-03T16:30:00.000-07:00

Our partners at Grace Place Church, which is hosting the mobile food bank on Fridays from 12-2 pm, posted some video from the dedication on Oct. 14.

Grace Place is located at 3801 S. Union in Tacoma.

Take a look at our new mobile food bank

2011-10-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

Our new mobile food bank made a very successful debut last week with stops at Grace Place Church, where Pastor Danny Thomas offered a blessing and dedication of the new mobile unit, and at Northeast Tacoma Elementary School.

The mobile unit, a converted 45-ft furniture van, is Pierce County's first completely self-contained mobile food bank and one of only a few in the country. Take a look:

Clients enter the mobile unit on the side and push their shopping cart right down the center aisle.

Ramps at the side and back make for easy entry and exit.

FISH's Debbie Price and Mike Mowat review shelf stock for the mobile food bank's first stop.

FISH hits the road!

2011-10-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

Beginning in mid-October, FISH will launch its first mobile food bank. This is a pilot project in attempting to reach underserved parts of Pierce County where there is high need but no food bank access.

Under the leadership of FISH board member Mike Mowat, a 48-ft former furniture van is being outfitted with a generator, lights, propane heaters, shelves and entry/exit ramps. It will have more storage and display capacity than some fixed food banks, but will be able to move to where the need is.

Like our fixed-location food banks, the mobile food bank will operate on a walk-in, self-serve model. Inside the trailer, individuals will check in and receive a small shopping cart. They will then walk down a center aisle and select food from the shelving units on either side, just as in our fixed locations.

Northeast Tacoma Elementary School will be the first regular weekly stop on the mobile schedule.

The school’s principal approached FISH some time ago about starting a food bank in the neighborhood. Northeast Tacoma is one of Pierce County’s underserved areas, where there is high need but no access to a food bank. The closest food bank is just across the county line in Federal Way, but its funding restrictions mean that it serves only King County residents. Pierce County residents aren’t eligible to receive federal commodity food there, and the nearest Pierce County food bank is eight miles away.

We are currently talking with potential partners to find other sites for the mobile food bank schedule. If you'd like to suggest an area of need or a prospective site for the mobile food bank, just let us know via phone at 253-383-3164 or email us.

Sun shines on the Proctor Art-a-Thon

2011-07-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

Artist Andrea Greenfield with some of her creations

Many thanks to the Proctor Art Gallery and the Proctor Farmers' Market, who teamed up again to present the 3rd Annual Proctor Art-a-Thon at the Market on Saturday, July 23, all to benefit NW Tacoma FISH, located at Mason United Methodist Church, adjacent to the Market.
Special thanks to each of the artists who took part, donating their time all day, doing art demonstrations and creating works inspired by the Farmers' Market while they accepted donations and pledges for NW Tacoma FISH. The proceeds allow the food bank to purchase fresh produce from the Market.
From Proctor Art Gallery came Andrea Greenfield, Arvid Anderson, Bonnie Cargol, Emily Porter, Marquita Hunt, Sharon Crocetti, Tom Bona, Carolyn Burt and Gary LaTurner, along with friends Alexis St. John and Mary Wolfe. The event drew big crowds, drawn by the perfect weather.
Thanks also to Louise Andersen and Felicity Devlin from the Proctor Farmers’ Market for all of their sponsorship and hard work promoting the event.
There were many highlights: Artists Mary and Bill Wolfe donated the wonderful Victorian style rocking horse which brought in over $100 by itself. And artist Mauricio Rubilino spent the day in the Kids’ Booth, creating two gorgeous mosaics with the children's participation. The mosaics will be displayed at the Proctor Arts Fest on Aug. 6. People will be invited to donate for a chance to win them.


Artists Bill & Mary Wolfe donated this wonderful Victorian rocking horse, inviting donations for a chance to win the horse.

Celebrating the expansion of Southeast FISH

2011-07-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

Pastor Peter reads the story of the loaves and fishes at the celebration

"We destroyed a perfectly good house . . . what were we thinking?" asked Pastor Peter Mohr of the volunteers, board and staff gathered at Southeast FISH yesterday.

The occasion was a celebration to mark the completion of a 1,000 sq. ft. addition to the food bank, providing badly needed food storage. In blessing the new space, Pastor Peter told the story of the house that now houses the food bank on his congregation's property. He spoke of all the other ways the space could have been used, and concluded, "Now it's only good for one thing . . . but that one thing is close to the heart of God."

New expansion at Southeast

It was only three years ago that we added 2,500 square feet of space to Southeast FISH. At that time this food bank was serving about 8,000 people each month. We couldn’t have foreseen then that the economy would take such a severe downturn and that we would outgrow that added space so quickly.

FISH director Beth Elliott with Jeff May (l)
and Jeff Stroud of Mountain Construction

Today Southeast FISH serves about 15,000 people each month. With such a dramatic increase in need, we had to find a way to maximize our available space, and so here we are celebrating the addition of another 1,000 square feet for food storage.

FISH executive director Beth Elliott and board president Dee Ebsen thanked the Thompson Foundation, which funded the expansion with a generous grant of $62,643, and Mountain Construction, which donated the framing labor, valued at $13,550.

Volunteer coordinator Phil Membrere thanked the gathered volunteers, many of whom have been working at Southeast FISH for many years. Before this addition was started, volunteers were forced to move pallets of food outside every day just to make room in the food bank for serving clients and restocking shelves. At the end of the day they would move the pallets back inside. In inclement weather the pallets were covered with plastic tarps for protection. It was inefficient and hazardous. Phil thanked the volunteers for their amazing dedication and patience throughout the construction process.

Book signing benefits FISH

2011-06-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

It was an afternoon of history and fun on Saturday as Dr. Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, historian and author, presented her newly released book, Winning the West for Women: The Life of Suffragist Emma Smith DeVoe. The book signing and celebration was held at the DeVoe Mansion Bed and Breakfast in Tacoma, once the home of Emma Smith DeVoe. Attendees brought canned food donation as the cost of admission and all proceeds benefited FISH Food Banks. We'd like to thank Dr. Ross-Nazzal for her generosity in sharing the celebration of her new book with people in need here in our county.

Executive director Beth Elliott with FISH board members Sandy Roszman and Dee Dippolito at DeVoe Mansion

FISH Food Benefit was a rousing success!

2011-06-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

The Swiss Pub in Tacoma rocked out on Sunday evening with the sounds of the 4th Annual FISH Food Benefit Concert, presented by Maurice the Fish Records and SweatBox Entertainment. Through donations, raffles and a silent auction, the evening raised more than $4,000 for FISH Food Banks of Pierce County -- enough to provide over $28,000 worth of food to people in need!

"King Fish" Raymond Hayden talks about the record label's commitment to helping hungry people:

Participating artists included Heidi Vladyka, Josh Rizeberg, Sevens Revenge, the Rikk Beatty Band, the Kim Archer Band, and Mr. Von. Many, many thanks to all of the artists, volunteers, sponsors, donors and attendees who made this event possible!


Heidi Vladyka opened the show

Spoken word artist Josh Rizeberg

Kristin and Dusti of Sevens Revenge


Kim Archer

Mr. Von of SweatBox Entertainment

The state budget affects you - learn how to make your voice heard!

2011-06-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

We're excited to be working with our friends at Washington Community Action Network (Washington CAN) to offer a series of community conversations on state budget cuts and how they can affect you. What happens in Olympia matters to you; please join us to learn how you can make your voice heard in Olympia. Our first community conversation will be held next Wednesday, June 22 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. at Lutheran Church of Christ the King, 1704 East 85th (next to Southeast FISH). Map

Download a flyer here.

We're growing again at Southeast!

2011-06-03T15:48:00.000-07:00

Just three years after completing a large expansion, our Southeast FISH Food Bank is expanding again. When we completed the 2,500 sq. ft. expansion in 2008, Southeast was serving approximately 8,000 people each month. In these days of a bad economy and high unemployment, Southeast is now serving more than 14,000 people each month and has outgrown its space.

Up to now volunteers have had to move 20 to 40 pallets of food outside the food bank every day to make room for serving clients and restocking shelves. At the end of the day they move the pallets back inside. During bad weather the pallets have been covered with plastic tarps for protection, often a challenge on windy and rainy days.

Construction began May 2 on another expansion that will add 1,000 sq. ft. to the food bank. The added space will house 40 pallets of food that currently sit outside during the day and provide space for 20 additional pallets. It will make remove a safety hazard for our volunteers and staff and at the same time allow us to serve clients more efficiently.


Added space will allow pallets to be stored inside.

We are so grateful to our friends at Mountain Construction, who are donating a significant portion of the labor to make this project happen.They've made great progress over the past month, and expect to be finished by mid- to late June.


Looking good and making great progress!

This is why we're here

2011-05-26T17:07:00.000-07:00

Every day, we hear all kinds of stories from our clients. But sometimes we get a truly stark reminder of why it is we do what we do. Yesterday there was one such reminder in a phone call to our admin office. The caller, Richard, was a 58-year-old man in need of food for himself and his wife.

He wanted us to know that he had been turned away from another food bank organization. Without a car or access to a bus, he had walked several miles in the rain to get there, only to be refused food because he didn’t have the identification they required. As he told us the story, he didn’t even sound angry, just sad and defeated. "I know they have their rules," he said, "but it just seemed wrong." He said he just wanted to tell us what had happened so that we wouldn’t refer anyone there. “I’m strong and I can keep trying,” he said, “but what if the same thing happened to some poor little old lady who had no other way to get food?”

As he talked, Richard shared more and more of his story, and it was heartbreaking. He and his wife recently moved to our area. His wife is ill, clinically depressed and in need of medical care. He has a job lined up to start next month, but until he starts work he has no money to pay for food or for the medicine his wife badly needs.

At FISH, we believe no one in need of food should ever be turned away. We knew we had to find a way to help. It was late in the day, it was raining heavily, and there was no food bank he could get to. But thanks to the dedicated staff at our Southeast food bank, and their willingness to go the extra mile to help someone in need, we were able to deliver some food to Richard and his wife.
We all have days when we're busy or overwhelmed. But when we do, it's stories like Richard's that remind us why it is we're here.

Thanks to Westgate Curves!

2011-05-24T15:32:00.000-07:00

Many, many thanks to the wonderful, generous patrons of the Curves in Tacoma's Westgate area, whose annual food drive netted over 5,000 pounds of food for our NW Tacoma FISH Food Bank.


Here's the collected food at Westgate Curves after only two weeks of the month-long food drive!

The women challenged their colleagues at other local Curves to spur on the collection of needed food and non-food items.

Bargain hunters, unite!

2011-05-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

It was a full house yesterday at the United Methodist Church at Lakewood as FISH presented another "Coupons 101" class with blogger Angela Russell. About 50 people listened avidly and asked lots of questions as Angela shared her tips for smart coupon shopping. See Angela's blog, The Coupon Project, for lots of good ideas for smart, ethical bargain shopping.

FISH partners with Tacoma Community College

2011-05-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, FISH Food Banks of Pierce County is delighted to be partnering with Tacoma Community College to present a specially designed course in safety and warehouse management for food bank operations. Titled "Safety Excellence in the FISH Food Network," the six-hour class will give FISH Food Bank coordinators and other food warehouse operators an opportunity to look at the most common issues and pitfalls that can create safety hazards.

TCC business instructor Gary Olson has designed the class with input from FISH staff and safety office Marcus Stoll. Topics to be covered include safety training, materials handling, shelving/racking, proper lifting, housekeeping, truck safety, pedestrian safety, use of protective equipment and much more.

We're excited to be working with TCC on this project and hope it's the first of many!

And now for something a little different . . .

2011-04-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

Nancy Zarins, who works part-time in our administrative office, is also a local poet. She shared one of her recent poems with us and we thought it would be great to share it with our friends and supporters.

What Do You See?

You probably never see
The tramp who has to be
Plunging his hands
Through the garbage in cans
To find a half good orange
Maybe

And you've probably never known
Those whose own body
Devours them inward
From the bone

Have you ever seen someone find
An open bottle of wine
And just as his heart
Jumped for his win
And his shaking hands
Lifted the bottle
Towards his shaking mind
His nostrils caught
And cleared and lost,
Shattered.

A green glass wine bottle
Filled with urine.

Some evil slime
Which could have come
From one
Who bought and drank that wine
But most likely was done
From one whose need
Was cruelty.

People talk about "the homeless"
I've heard people say
"Why don't they get it together?
Why do they act that way?"

and, "They could do better of course
They don't have to live that way!
Just lazy and want us to support them
They've already got shelters and welfare
That's more than enough for us to pay."

I saw a man once on a documentary
About our homeless folk today.
He said, "Don't ever think it can't happen to you.
It can happen to anyone. It happened to me.

It could happen tomorrow.
Could happen today.”

And I’ve heard it said
I bet you have, too.
“Whatsoever ye do unto the least of my
brethren,
Ye do unto me.” Yes you do.

When our towns are full of empty buildings
And our trash is clogged with good food
While our countrymen sleep on the sidewalk
In any religion, or no religion, call that a sin.
A real bad sin. Careless management.
No way to treat your kin.

It could be your child, your old friend
Thinking, “I wonder if they remember me?”
It could be your mom or dad. Or you.
Someday, each one of us has to see.

©Nancy Zarins 2011, Tacoma, WA

FISH adds new location

2011-04-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

We're very excited that we have now added an eighth location to our network of food banks across Pierce County. Our newest addition is Key Peninsula FISH, located at Key Peninsula Lutheran Church, 4213 Lackey Road KPN, Lakebay. Coordinator Wally Haugaard and volunteers from the church have been running a food bank at that location for about four years, and they now serve approximately 2,500 people per month.
The Key Peninsula location is open on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 2:00-3:00 p.m.

On Wednesday, a new container was installed to provide additional storage on the site, and a group of volunteers from the naval base in Bremerton came out to build and install the shelving.


New storage container being installed

Volunteers assembling shelving for the new container

Join us for "Coupons 101"

2011-02-17T16:26:00.000-08:00

We're excited to announce that we are partnering with The Coupon Project to present "Coupons 101" on Tuesday, March 1 at 1:00 p.m. at Lutheran Church of Christ the King, 1710 85th Street East, Tacoma. (Map)

In this free one-hour class, local bargain blogger Angela Russell of The Coupon Project will share her secrets for smart shopping with coupons. Let Angela show you how to stretch your budget dollars to the max! Topics will include:

Why and how you should stockpile
Where to find coupons and how to keep them organized
The basics of using coupons with sales
Coupon etiquette 101
Common myths about using coupons
How to save on groceries beyond using coupons
How to use coupons in a time-effective way

For more information or to RSVP, please email us or call us at 253-383-3164

Volunteer training was a hit!

2011-02-11T12:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much to FISH board member and City of Tacoma EEO officer Jerry Lee, who presented a great workshop on Diversity Awareness yesterday for volunteers from our food banks. About 40 people attended the lunchtime workshop at the Pierce County Library Processing and Administrative Center. Jerry had us all laughing but also gave us a lot to think about as we work to provide the best possible service to our clients. It was a great opportunity to take a look at our biases and assumptions, and how they affect our behavior with the people we encounter. A bit of role-playing provided lots of laughter and also lots of insight.

This was the first in what we plan to be a series of quarterly training sessions for our regular volunteers, and we're inviting all of our volunteers and supporters to suggest topics for future sessions.

Jerry Lee discusses diversity awareness with FISH volunteers.

Volunteers and staff work together on a diversity exercise at Thursday's workshop.

More featured recipes

2011-01-28T15:37:00.000-08:00

Thanks again to Celeste Greenwood of Washington State University Pierce County Extension, who has been providing recipe demos in our food banks throughout the month of January. Celeste has been featuring cooking tips for dry beans, peas and lentils; see below for her latest recipes.

Cooking Dry Beans, Peas and Lentils
Step 1:
     • Spread dry beans, peas or lentils into a shallow pan.
     • Pick out any discolored beans or bits of rock or dirt.
     • Place in a strainer and rinse under running water.

Step 2: Soak beans before cooking.
     Overnight Soak
          • Cover beans with unsalted water.
          • Cover pan, place in refrigerator and let stand overnight.     Quick Soak
    • Cover beans with unsalted water.
    • Boil two minutes in uncovered pan.
          • Remove from heat. Cover pan and let stand for one hour.

Step 3: Drain the soaking water. Cover beans in pan with fresh water.

Step 4: Bring to a boil, and then turn heat to low. Cook to desired doneness. See Cooking Tips, below!

Cooking Times
Beans, all varieties = 1 – 2 hours
Split peas, lentils = 30 – 45 minutes (You do not need to soak peas and lentils)
One cup dry beans = Three cups dry beans

Cooking Tips

For casseroles and salads, beans should be firmer.
For refried beans and soups, beans should be softer.
If you have hard water, beans will take longer to cook.
Do not add salt while cooking. Beans will stay hard.
Do a taste test after the shortest cooking time.
Don’t mix old beans with new beans. Older beans will take longer to cook.
Cook beans when you have time. Cool in cold water, place in freezer bags with date written on them, then freeze for up to six (6) months.

Low Fat Refried Beans
     Ingredients
          • 1 pound dry pinto beans, rinsed
          • 2 cloves garlic, minced
          • 1 medium onion, chopped
          • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
          • 2 tsp ground cumin
          • 1 tsp chili powder
          • 1 tsp salt

Directions Using the Quick Soak Method

Place the beans in a large pot with a lid. Pick out any rocks or discolored beans.
Cover the beans with fresh water until they are covered with one inch of water.
Place over high heat, and bring to a boil.
When the beans have come to a boil, drain, and return them to the same pot.
Cover the beans with fresh water until they are covered with two inches of water.
Stir in chopped onion and one minced clove of garlic
Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce heat to low.
Cover and simmer until the beans are very soft and smash easily, about three hours, adding water as needed.
Once the beans have cooked, drain out the liquid, saving some if needed to thin out the beans.
Using a potato masher or fork mash them with the remaining minced clove of garlic, oil, cumin, chili powder and salt. (For creamier beans a blender or hand mixer can be used.)
Use additional cooking liquid as needed to get desired creaminess.
Place over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to blend the flavors.

This material was funded by USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Recipe adapted from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vegetarian-Refried-Beans/Detail.aspx. Accessed 1/6/11

Grocery Outlet and FirstFruits take a bite out of hunger

2011-01-14T11:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday at the Bonney Lake Grocery Outlet, FISH Food Banks received a generous donation of approximately 4,000 pounds of fresh apples, part of a 17,500 pound donation from Grocery Outlet's "Take a Bite Out of Hunger" campaign. During the promotional campaign, each consumer purchase of loose or bagged apples helps Grocery Outlet earn apples for donation to local food banks: two apples for a five-pound bag purchased, one apple for a three-pound bag. Mark Holz, director of marketing for Grocery Outlet, said, "Our goal is to donate more than 50,000 pounds of apples to local food banks between now and February. This donation will help many and is perfect timing to provide nutritious food to those in need after the holiday season when there is less public attention on replenishing food bank reserves.”

Throughout the duration of the program, FirstFruits Marketing of Washington aims to partner with retailers throughout the United States to donate 1 million apples to food banks.

Cooking Demos at FISH

2011-01-14T11:15:00.000-08:00

Celeste Greenwood of the Washington State University Pierce County Extension will once again be offering cooking demos in our food banks during the month of January. Remaining dates are:
Lakes FISH: Monday, Jan. 24, 2:00-5 pm
Graham FISH: Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2:00-5 pm
Northwest FISH: Wednesday, Jan. 19, 12:00-4pm
Southeast FISH: Friday, Jan. 21, 11:00 am-4 pm
Friday, Jan. 28, 11:00 am-4 pm
Edgewood FISH: Saturday, Jan. 22, 11:00 am-2 pm
Saturday, Jan. 29, 10:30 am-2 pm

Recipes shared in the demos will feature ingredients from the food banks. One of the recipes will be "Rice a'Ghetti," shared below. Other demos will feature cooking dry beans and making low-fat refried beans.

Rice A’ghetti with Canned Peas

Ingredients

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
1 lb. ground turkey
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 cup uncooked rice
½ cup spaghetti, broken into 1 inch pieces
2.5 cups of water or broth
1 ‐15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 ‐14.5 oz can of peas, drained
black pepper to taste

Preparation
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until they soften.
2. Add ground turkey and garlic powder to the skillet; stir occasionally until turkey is close to done.
3. Add rice and spaghetti pieces to turkey mixture. Stir until rice and spaghetti start to brown.
4. Add the water or broth and tomato sauce.
5. Cover and let simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
6. Add can of drained peas. Stir and cook for 5 minutes longer or until the rice and spaghetti are tender and peas are heated. Add pepper to taste.

New Year's Holiday Hours

2010-12-30T13:42:00.000-08:00

As we wish everyone a safe and happy New Year's celebration, here's just a reminder of holiday closures:

Friday, Dec. 31:
Lakes Area FISH—Closed.
Graham/South Hill FISH—Open 10 am-1:30 pm
Southeast FISH—Open 10 am-2 pm
FISH Administrative Office—Open 9 am-1 pm

Saturday, Jan. 1:
Edgewood FISH—Closed
NW Tacoma FISH—Closed

All locations will resume normal hours beginning Monday, Jan.3, 2011, except Southeast FISH, which will reopen on Wednesday, Jan. 5.

Happy New Year from FISH Food Banks!

Christmas Cheer at Graham/South Hill

2010-12-22T15:25:00.000-08:00

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the wonderful women of the Moms Club of South Hill, who gave so generously of themselves to provide a Merrier Christmas for clients of Graham/South Hill FISH. Not only did they donate toys, gifts and funds, they also gave their time to help set up and staff the Christmas giveaway that provided Christmas gifts to more than 75 families.
Thanks also go to Graham Fire & Rescue, Toray Composites and Holy Disciples Catholic Church, who also helped supply toys and gifts for the Christmas giveaway.
About the Moms Club . . .

Southeast FISH featured in the News Tribune

2010-12-17T11:05:00.000-08:00

Did you see our wonderful Southeast FISH staff and volunteers featured in Monday's News Tribune? Check it out!
Southeast FISH is by far our busiest food bank, serving more than 15,000 people each month. We couldn't do it without the dozens of dedicated volunteers who pick up food donations, repack food, stock the shelves and make sure clients are greeted with a smile. We are so grateful for all you do!

Bags of Hope!

2010-11-19T13:50:00.000-08:00

Shopping out in the South Hill area? The South Hill Fred Meyer (17404 Meridian East) will be holding a "Bags of Hope" food drive this Saturday, Nov. 20, from 11:00 am-3:00 pm to benefit Graham/South Hill FISH. Purchase a pre-packed grocery bag of items at any register and drop it off at the FISH donation van parked out front of the Grocery Entrance.

Lakewood Area Connection Center is now open!

2010-09-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to all who attended yesterday's Opening Celebration for our newest Connection Center, at the Lakes Area FISH Food Bank. This latest in our Connection Center partnership with South Sound Outreach Services was made possible by a grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation.
Rick Larson, Market President, South Sound Region, Bank of America, was on hand to make the official presentation of the $50,000 check, which provides not only for the Lakewood Area Connection Center, but also for another planned to open at Northwest Tacoma FISH within the next month or two.

The opening of the new Connection Center is especially timely given that Lakes Area FISH is now by far our fastest-growing site, with a whopping 84% increase in clients since last year. In August alone we served more than 4,000 individuals at Lakes.

Beth Elliott of FISH Food Banks, Rick Larson of Bank of America, and Roberta Marsh of South Sound Outreach Services are pictured at the Lakewood Connection Center Opening Celebration.

Bob Badgley will be the SSOS outreach specialist at the Lakewood site.

Art-a-Thon nets over $800 for NW Tacoma FISH

2010-08-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

Carolyn Burt and Felicity Devlin

Our friends Carolyn Burt, of the Proctor Art Gallery, and Felicity Devlin, of the Proctor Farmers Market, stopped by today to deliver the donations collected at this year's Proctor Art-a-Thon. Despite the bad economy and inclement weather, the event netted $812 dollars to supply fresh fruit and produce for the NW Tacoma FISH Food Bank. Many, many thanks to both of you and all the wonderful artists who participated in this great event!

Recipe demos at FISH Food Banks

2010-08-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

During the month of August, FISH Food Banks will be hosting a series of recipe demos by Celeste Greenwood, a nutrition educator with Washington State University Pierce County Extension. Celeste will be sharing food samples, recipes and ideas for utilizing ingredients typically available at the food banks. The demo schedule is as follows:

How to Store Lettuce / Low Fat Yogurt Dressing
Graham FISH, August 11, 2:00-6:00 p.m.

Ground Turkey Recipes
Lakes Area FISH, August 6, 1:00-5:00 p.m.
Edgewood FISH, August 7, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Graham FISH, August 18, 2:00-6:00 p.m.

Rice and Beans Recipes
Southeast FISH, August 9, 1:30-4:00 p.m.
Bread Box FISH, August 9, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Lakes Area FISH, August 13, 1:00-5:00 p.m.
Edgewood FISH, August 14, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Graham FISH, August 25, 2:00-6:00 p.m.

Oatmeal Recipes
Southeast FISH, August 16, 1:30-4:00 p.m.
Bread Box FISH, August 16, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Lakes Area FISH, August 17, 1:00-5:00 p.m.
Edgewood FISH, August 21, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Art for Food

2010-08-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

Carolyn Burt at Art-a-Thon 2010

Many, many thanks to the wonderful and talented artists who participated in Saturday's Art-a-Thon at the Proctor Farmers' Market. Despite cool temperatures and gray skies, they brightened up the day with their art and demonstrations, collecting pledges and donations to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to NW Tacoma FISH. Special thanks to the Proctor Art Gallery and the Proctor Farmers' Market for all their support, and to the participating artists: Tom Bona, Mary Wolfe, Sharon Crocetti, Alexis St. John, Carolyn Burt, Kristin Haakenson, Marquita Hunt and Deb Morris.

Shopping smarter

2010-07-28T12:47:00.000-07:00

In these tough economic times, we're all trying to save money wherever we can. Here at FISH, we supplement our donated food with purchased food, and we've think we've gotten pretty good at stretching our food purchasing dollars as much as we can -- for every dollar we receive, we're now able to distribute $7 worth of food. But we've made a new acquaintance who's really a champion at stretching her shopping dollars. Angela Russell's blog, The Coupon Project, is a treasure trove of ideas for saving money by using coupons and shopping smarter. Check it out!

George Winston in Tacoma

2010-07-20T15:50:00.000-07:00

The great George Winston, pianist extraordinaire, is coming to Tacoma and we're excited to announce that FISH Food Banks will be the beneficiary of a food drive at his concert.

The show will be held on Friday, September 10 at 8:00 p.m. at the Rialto Theater; tickets are available from the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts.

George Winston's latest solo piano release is Love Will Come – The Music of Vince Guaraldi, Vol. 2, which features compositions by the late jazz pianist, including pieces from the Peanuts® TV specials. It is a follow-up to his acclaimed 1996 CD, Linus & Lucy-The Music of Vince Guaraldi, which included some of Guaraldi's best-known work, including "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" and pieces from the Peanuts® TV specials. Other solo piano releases include Autumn (1980); Winter Into Spring (1982); December (1982); Summer (1991); Forest (1994 - a Grammy Award winner for Best New Age Album); Plains (1999), inspired by his Eastern Montana upbringing; Night Divides the Day - The Music of the Doors (2002); Montana - A Love Story (2004) and Gulf Coast Blues & Impressions – A Hurricane Relief Benefit (2006).

Harvest of pennies yields food for hungry people

2010-06-24T15:59:00.000-07:00

Our Graham/South Hill FISH site was delighted to receive a check for $1000 from the students of Spanaway's Cedarcrest Jr. High. The students participated in a national educational program called Penny Harvest. What makes the Penny Harvest unique is that students not only collect pennies to support worthy causes, they also turn those pennies into grants for community organizations. As part of their learning, the students form Philanthropy Roundtables to study community problems and determine which organizations can best address those problems. The students themselves select these community organizations to receive grant money from their penny drives. The Cedarcrest students' Applied Algebra Philanthropy Roundtable selected FISH Food Banks to receive their grant. A big thanks to all of the students at Cedarcrest for your generosity -- we are so honored to be chosen for this grant!

Intel employees garden for food banks

2010-06-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

Intel is a high-tech business. Its employees are immersed in cutting-edge technology. But beyond their technological expertise, Intel employees are digging in the dirt -- literally!-- to make their community a better place.

The Intel DuPont Community Gardens began last year as the brainchild of Stu Vannerson, then an engineering manager at Intel. While doing a community service project with other Intel employees at an organic farm in Olympia, Stu began to wonder whether some the spare acreage at Intel's DuPont location could be put to better use. He found other employees who shared his enthusiasm, and they started planning.

Local businesses helped with donations and discounts for topsoil and lumber, and the first five beds were built on August 1. With the first harvest in November, employee interest and support grew rapidly.

Now there are 22 raised beds and about a dozen other planter boxes, which Stu anticipates could yield about 2,000 pounds of produce this year for food banks in Pierce and Thurston Counties. Each of the beds is sponsored by a participating Intel department. That department's employee team makes all of the decisions -- what to plant, when to plant, how to set up a watering schedule, where to donate their produce -- and do all of the work themselves.

Intel initially supported the employees' effort by putting in underground irrigation and setting up a 120' x 180' fence around the gardens. "Now that they've seen that the employees are serious and can sustain this, they ask us what else we could use," says Vannerson.

In March of this year, the Intel DuPont Community Gardens received its 501 (c) (3) designation as a nonprofit organization. Now retired from Intel after 30 years, Stu Vannerson remains a director of the garden project. He says employees are so excited about what they've accomplished so far that they keep bringing him new ideas for how to expand the gardens' reach and impact. "It's great to see people who deal every day in nanoseconds get so excited about getting their hands dirty and finding it such meaningful work."

We here at FISH are excited too, and very grateful for the produce that the gardens have begun contributing to our Lakes Area FISH Food Bank. Congratulations to Stu and to all the generous Intel employees who have made this project possible!

Thanks to St. Luke's!

2010-06-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

The good folks at St. Luke's Memorial Episcopal Church in Tacoma's North End ran a special drive for FISH Food Banks. Instead of a food drive they decided to help us stock up on non-food essentials, so they conducted a toilet paper drive.
Toilet paper and other necessary non-food items are always in short supply at the food banks, and are always needed because such items are not covered by food stamps. Thanks so much to all the folks at St. Luke's for their generosity! Together they collected more than 1250 rolls of TP - far outpacing their original goal of 250 rolls.

More seniors relying on food banks

2010-05-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

According to the Emergency Food Assistance Program, the number of seniors in Washington state relying on food banks relying on food banks has risen 22% just in the past two years.

There's some good news, though. With the summer farmers market season getting underway, the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program offers eligible low-income seniors a way to access nutritious fresh fruit and vegetables. The program, which operates June through October, supplies fresh produce in two ways:
seniors can redeem farmers market checks for up to $40 worth of produce at authorized farmers markets or roadside stands, or, local produce is purchased directly from farmers and delivered to eligible homebound seniors or to meal sites and senior housing for pick up by seniors.

The program not only provides seniors a way to eat healthier, but also offers the fun and social interaction of visiting the local farmers market. It also helps to support local farming by encouraging the use of farmers markets and roadside produce stands.

To be eligible for the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, you must be age 60 or over and have an income less than 185% of the Federal Poverty Level ($1,669.63 per month for one person in 2010). For more information and program contacts, see the program webpage.

(Information courtesy of Energize Newsletter for Nutrition Educators, published by the Washington State University Nutrition Education Network. Read the latest issue here.)

Maurice the Fish rocked the house . . .

2010-05-05T13:39:00.001-07:00

AND raised more than $5,000 to help FISH Food Banks feed hungry people across Pierce County!

Pastor Heather James welcomed all the attendees and musicians on behalf of Westminster Presbyterian Church, and then turned the mike over to emcee Cliff Lenderman of the Lenderman Academy of Martial Arts.

The music began with a video from Kim Archer, whose gorgeous acoustic rendition of "Unchain My Heart" got the show off to a rousing start.

Then the JNC Trio took the stage, making their debut as a band and marking the evening's first appearance by the amazing multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Nick Sandy, who performed with most of the evening's acts. The trio rocked a set of covers and originals.

Drummer Eric Montgomery demonstrated his versatility with a solo piano/vocal set featuring a beautiful rendition of Elton John's "Your Song" and his own original compositions.

Backed by the JNC Trio's Chad Russell and Nick Sandy, Savannah opened her set with Missy Higgins' "Where I Stood," before moving into original songs, including a couple from her Reaching Serenity CD.

At intermission, Cliff Lenderman led the freewill donation for FISH Food Banks, and we were bowled over by the generosity of the folks in the crowd.

The amazing Rikk Beatty kicked off the second half of the show with his trademark power guitar sound, and then Nick Sandy took the stage for a solo set.

Raymond Hayden and the Dark Drive Home followed with their own original material, and then backed up the evening's final act, Danielle Egnew, as she provided a rocking close to the festivities.

We at FISH are immensely grateful to Raymond Hayden for organizing this wonderful event, to all the musicians who donated their time and talent, to the audience members who were so generous with their donations, and to the sponsors who provided support and door prizes: The Tempest, Tacoma Rainiers, Leatherman, Silver City Restaurant and Brewery, The Matador, and McCormick Woods.

Cookbook sales benefit FISH

2010-04-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

Proceeds from the sale of a new cookbook will benefit FISH Food Banks. The self-proclaimed "Iron Chefs of General Plastics," a group of seven co-workers, have created their own cookbook, What's Cookin' at GP. The seven -- Cindy Bohnert, Adam Blanchard, Rory Endsley, Carenna Lan, Jerry Langston, Bob Coty and Shelly Holland -- were selected by their employer, General Plastics Manufacturing of Tacoma, to attend a college course in Manufacturing Management Teamwork Essentials. They decided to compile a book of their favorite recipes as their class project.

In their book, they write:

We, the authors of this book, consider ourselves to be extremely fortunate that we are employed and able to put food on our tables for ourselves and our families while so many in our community cannot. For this reason, we've decided to use some of the proceeds from this book to help our neighbors put food on their tables.

We will donate a majority of the profits from the sale of this book to FISH Food Banks of Pierce County.

And we at FISH are very grateful for their generosity! The book sells for $10 and we will have copies available for sale at the FISH Food Benefit Concert on Saturday, May 1 at Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Happy Day!

2010-04-14T15:41:00.001-07:00

Great news for a beautiful spring day! Just heard from the Boeing Employees Community Fund that our funding request has been approved, so very soon we will have a bright shiny new truck to better service our seven food bank locations. Many, many thanks to the generous Boeing employees!

Rocking for FISH

2010-04-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

This week's Tacoma Weekly includes a great feature story on the upcoming FISH Food Benefit Concert. The third annual benefit will be held on Saturday, May 1 from 6-9 pm at Tacoma's Westminster Presbyterian Church. Come join us to hear artists from Maurice the Fish Records offer an eclectic evening of music. Scheduled artists include JNC Trio, Eric Montgomery, Nick Sandy, Savannah, Raymond Hayden and the Dark Drive Home, and Danielle Egnew.

Westminster Presbyterian Church is located at 5236 East “B” Street in Tacoma. (Map) There is no admission charge; a free will offering will be collected and all proceeds will benefit FISH.

It's a family-friendly event that will offer great music and fabulous door prizes donated by sponsoring local businesses. See you there!

Thanks to Grainger

2010-04-05T16:53:00.000-07:00

Many, many thanks to the good folks at Grainger Industrial Supply for their generous support of FISH Food Banks. Grainger representative Curtis King stopped by our new office on Friday to present a check for $5,000 in support of our work.

FISH is on the move!

2010-03-01T14:23:00.000-08:00

Starting today, Lakes Area FISH will be serving clients at its new location, United Methodist Church at Lakewood, 6900 Steilacoom Blvd. SW in Lakewood. The food bank will also adopt new hours, open Monday 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., Wednesday and Friday 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

After 35 years at Little Church on the Prairie, Lakes FISH has simply outgrown its longtime home. Over the past two years, Lakes FISH has nearly doubled in number of clients served, from 16,602 clients in 2008 to 24,834 in 2009.

Many, many thanks to the congregation of Little Church on the Prairie for all their support over the years. They've been a huge part of FISH's history. We're thrilled that they will continue to work with us in our new location.

And the moves haven't stopped! FISH Food Banks is also moving its main office from its current site in the Associated Ministries building to a larger space in First Tower, part of the First United Methodist Church in Tacoma.

Effective at the beginning of April, our new office address will be: FISH Food Banks, First Tower, Suite 202, 621 Tacoma Ave. S, Tacoma 98402.

Innovation Award

2010-03-01T14:00:00.001-08:00

We were very excited to be named the winner of this year's Weyerhaeuser Company Innovation Award. Weyerhaeuser's Effenus Henderson presented the award to FISH board president Sandy Roszman on Wednesday at the 2010 Nonprofit Excellence Awards. FISH Food Banks was honored for its "creativity in finding new ways to meet community needs more effectively," specifically through our partnership with South Sound Outreach Services in our Connection Centers and through our partnership with Rotacare and others in the new chronic care clinic at Southeast FISH. Partners and board members came to celebrate the award with us:

Pictured, left to right: Nyla Redford, Mike Mowat, Janet Runbeck, Renee Housten, Barbara Reed, Jerry Lee, Sandy Roszman, Beth Elliott, Roberta Marsh.

More Easy Budget Recipes

2010-01-27T16:19:00.000-08:00

We've found another great resource for low-cost, quick and easy recipes. The folks at St. James Episcopal Church in Cincinnati, Ohio have created a website and a downloadable cookbook called One * Pot Meals.

Editor Bernice Abel describes the book as "Good food for good people," and says her goal in putting the book together was to produce "a cookbook for people like me who use paper towels instead of napkins and wouldn’t know what a garlic press is if they got caught in one." Check it out!

Plan now for Hunger Action Day

2010-01-09T16:24:00.000-08:00

On Friday, Jan. 29, the Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition will host the annual Hunger Action Day in Olympia. This is a concrete way to fight hunger here in Washington state. Plan now to be part of the effort to make sure our legislators hear the voices of Washington's hungry children and families. For more information or to register, see the 2010 Hunger Action Day blog.

Happy New Year

2010-01-09T16:16:00.000-08:00

It's barely 2010, and it's already shaping up to be a busy year at FISH Food Banks. The Lakewood food bank has outgrown its long-time home at Little Church on the Prairie, and is looking for a permanent site. Meanwhile, the food bank will relocate before March 1 to temporary quarters at United Methodist Church of Lakewood. Many thanks to the Pastor Bonnie Warren and her congregation for their hospitality!

The new permanent site should be at least 1,000 sq. ft. and have easy access for food loading. If you can suggest a possible site, call 253-383-3164 or email Beth Elliott.

Merry Christmas at Southeast FISH

2009-12-22T12:31:00.000-08:00

It's looking a lot like Christmas at SE FISH this week. Santa has been holding court, greeting clients and volunteers alike with hugs and hearty ho-ho-hos. Parents are receiving bags of candy for the little ones at home, and kids who come to the food bank are receiving candy and toys from the big guy himself.

While most of the kids were surprised and excited to see Santa, some wanted to talk. One serious young fellow, clutching his new game, asked, "what's the hardest part of your job?" He nodded soberly when Santa told him it was when the littlest kids get scared, agreeing, "yeah, I guess that would be hard."

But the overall mood is very festive, with Christmas decorations throughout the food bank and volunteers wearing their holiday best.

Below, volunteer Marina takes advantage of a momentary lull to pose with Santa:

Five-year-old Shalisa appointed herself Santa's helper while she waited for her mom to finish shopping. She was excited to receive a new learning game and a bag of candy from Santa.

Making birthdays happy!

2009-12-04T15:01:00.000-08:00

Production line workers at Tacoma's Birds Eye Foods held a birthday drive for FISH Food Banks as part of their company's United Way campaign. Each worker was challenged to bring in one birthday party item - cake mix, frosting, candles, birthday plates and cups, party hats and more. The workers would have a party of their own if they reached their goal of 160 items. They had plenty of cause to celebrate when the final count came in at over 500 birthday items! The party supplies will be used by the food banks to offer a "birthday in a box" package to client families. What a great way to provide a birthday celebration to kids and a little relief to families struggling just to make ends meet!

Special thanks go to all of the workers who contributed, to Birds Eye staff Andee Handeland, Cathy Kilgore and Georgiana Marzano, and to United Way Loaned Executive Mark Kawabata.

FISH will offer nutrition classes

2009-11-18T15:38:00.000-08:00

Southeast FISH will host a series of nutrition classes in the next two weeks as part of a pilot program with the newly established Connection Center at the food bank. The sessions will offer meal planning, recipes, food demos and more. Families will have the opportunity to participate in the classes from 9:30-10:30 a.m. while they wait their turn to go through the food bank. A ticket system will ensure that no one loses their place in line.

Here's the initial schedule:

Monday, 11/23/09
Family Meals - Easy, Tasty, and Healthy!
Discuss how to plan, shop, and prepare healthy, low-cost meals for the family and learn ways to let our children help. We will discuss the difficulties and some ideas on how to make meals low-cost.

Wednesday, 11/25/09
How Much? Food and Physical Activity
A healthy lifestyle means paying attention to what we eat and how physically active we are each day. We will discuss the kinds and amounts of foods that our family needs.

Monday, 11/30/09
Vegetables and Fruits - Simple Solutions
Talk about ways to include the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables in our daily meal plans and learn ways to encourage our children to eat fruits and vegetables.

Wednesday, 12/02/09
Family Time - Active and Fun
Discuss why being physically active is important and the challenges to being active every day. Learn how to be more physically active and begin to make healthy choices for meals and snacks.

Additional classes will be scheduled at Northwest FISH and Edgewood. Watch this space for dates and times.

Number of hungry Americans continues to climb

2009-11-18T15:25:00.000-08:00

A new USDA report says that more Americans than ever are facing food insecurity. In 2008, some 49 million people, or 14.6 percent of U.S. households, struggled to put enough food on the table to support a healthy lifestyle. The numbers represent a significant increase over 2007, when food insecurity affected 11.1 percent of households. Find the NY Times coverage of the report here, and the USDA press release here.

Half of US kids will get food stamps, study says

2009-11-03T17:39:00.000-08:00

A new study based on 30 years of data says that nearly half of US children will be on food stamps at some point in their childhood, more evidence that belies common stereotypes of those who need food assistance.
The Associated Press: Half of US kids will get food stamps

All the necessities ...

2009-11-02T15:56:00.000-08:00

Families who come to our food banks for help need more than food. While food is the most essential need, it's easy to overlook other necessities we take for granted, like personal hygiene items. News Tribune columnist Kathleen Merryman spotlighted a group of eager volunteers from Good Samaritan Behavioral Health who have started a Toilet Paper Club to supply the Graham-South Hill FISH with rolls of TP for their clients. Read all about it ... and think about starting a Toilet Paper Club for your local food bank!

Save a date for Santa

2009-10-12T15:36:00.001-07:00

Before your holiday plans get firmed up, make a place on your calendar for the first ever Santa Runs Tacoma 5K Run & Walk, to be held on Saturday, Dec. 19 on the Tacoma Waterfront. Check-in and registration begins at 7:00 a.m. at The Dock, 535 Dock St. in Tacoma; events begin at 9:00 a.m. Participants are being asked to bring non-perishable foods for FISH. The day promises to be fun for everyone, with Tiny Tim's 1K Kids' Run, Frosty's 5K Run and Walk, and The Grinch 10K Relay. Register online at the Santa Runs website.

Two tons of food!

2009-10-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

Word just came in that the amazing folks at Temple Beth El (see below) collected a whopping 4,417 pounds of food in their annual food drive! Many, many thanks from all of us at FISH and from the clients of the Jackson St. FISH Food Bank who will benefit from this generous donation.

Temple Beth El food drive benefits Jackson St. FISH

2009-10-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

Each year, during the Days of Awe between the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, families from Tacoma's Temple Beth El collect food for the Jackson St. FISH Food Bank.

To liven up this year's food drive, Temple board president Lisa Sobel issued a challenge: she would donate non-perishable milk products to accompany all the cereal donated. The result created a unique monument in the Temple rotunda, built of cereal boxes!

The youth groups from Temple Beth El and St. Andrew's Episcopal Church gathered together to sort all the food and load it into the FISH van for transport to Jackson St. FISH, which is housed at St. Andrew's.

Thanks to all the contributors and volunteers who gave so generously, especially coordinators Herman and Barbara Kleiner of Temple Beth El.

Food banks see increased demand

2009-10-02T11:34:00.001-07:00

Pierce County food banks continue to see increased need for services. Read all about it in Thursday's News Tribune commentary by FISH executive director Beth Elliott and St. Leo Food Connection Executive Director Kevin Glackin-Coley. Beth and Kevin are co-chairs of the Pierce County Food Coalition. Remember that you can help by participating in the annual Pierce County Hunger Walk, next Saturday, Oct. 10. You can designate 50% of the funds you raise to the hunger agency of your choice, including FISH Food Banks. See you there!

TNT highlights Connection Center at Edgewood FISH

2009-09-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

News Tribune columnist Kathleen Merryman recently paid a visit to the Mountain View Community Center / Edgewood FISH. Her column on Monday, Sept. 28 spotlighted the new Connection Center partnership between FISH Food Banks and South Sound Outreach, providing social services support for food bank clients. Five connection centers are planned, with the next scheduled to open in Graham and in Southeast Tacoma. Read all about it here and watch this space for opening dates.

Can't decide what to make for dinner? Click and cook!

2009-09-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

In our fast-paced society and busy lives, who has time to cook? We've gotten so used to fast foods and microwavable meals that many of us never even learn basic cooking skills. But one of the best ways to stretch a limited food budget is to cook at home. It's also a great way to eat healthier.

In our food banks we try to offer our clients suggestions for how to make use of the foods that we provide, so we're always on the lookout for healthy, frugal recipes. Sometimes we'll get a donation of food or produce that's a bit out of the ordinary, and clients may not know how to cook the item. We're always happy when we can provide them with ideas.

In our ongoing recipe search, we recently found a great resource, courtesy of the Greater Boston Food Bank. The folks at GBFB have created a searchable database, called ClicknCook^SM, that will help you find recipes to use whatever ingredients you have on hand. Just scroll down the list, clicking on the foods you want to use, and then hit the "Submit" button. Presto! - you get a list of recipes for those foods, complete with nutritional information. You can save any recipe as a pdf for viewing or printing. Check it out and let us know what you think. (And thanks to GBFB for allowing us to share this great resource!)

Coming to the end of a busy summer

2009-08-30T13:15:00.001-07:00

It's been a very busy summer, with all of our food banks seeing increased need. This past July was up 51% over July 2008!

An exciting new development is our partnership with Rotacare of Tacoma, who will open a chronic health clinic at Southeast FISH within the next few weeks. Read all about it in Kathleen Merryman's TNT column.

The art of food

2009-07-31T14:53:00.000-07:00

At last Saturday's Proctor Farmers Market, a dozen artists -- members of the Pr octor Art Gallery and others -- set up their easels and drawing boards to provide a demonstration of art in action. Donations and pledges received at the various artist booths will go to purchase fresh produce for the Northwest FISH Food Bank, which is located at Mason United Methodist Church, adjacent to the Market. In watercolors, oils, pencil, collage, and even wood, the artists created food- and market-themed works to the delight of the watching shoppers. So far the Art-a-Thon has raised more than $1200 in donations and pledges. Donations are still being accepted online and at the Proctor Art Gallery, located at 3811 N. 26th in Tacoma.

Below: At the Market, artist Brad Stave demonstrates his wood-turning technique in crafting a wooden spice jar.

At right: Proctor Art Gallery owner Carolyn Burt displays her painting technique. One of her finished images of the market is on the easel behind her.

Below: Painter Mary Mann sported a "Make Art, Not War" t-shirt as she worked on a still life of fresh Market produce.

Thanks so much to the Proctor Farmers Market, the Proctor Art Gallery, and all the wonderful participating artists who contributed their time and talent to make the Art-a-Thon such a success. Their efforts will make it possible for the families who come to Northwest FISH to have fresh, healthy produce as part of a nutritious diet.

Ensuring a safe food supply

2009-07-08T15:53:00.000-07:00

Almost every week, it seems, the news media report another food product recall or an outbreak of food-borne illness. Here at FISH, as we work to provide nutritious food for all of our clients, we are also committed to keeping our food supply as safe as possible.

In March, President Obama established a Food Safety Working Group (FSWG), chaired by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Agriculture, to coordinate Federal efforts and advise the administration on upgrading the national food safety system.

Just yesterday, the group announced its initial findings at a press conference headed by Vice President Biden. FSWG recommends three core principles:

prioritizing prevention
strengthening surveillance and enforcement
improving response and recovery.

Read more about FSWG and its findings here.

Come to the "Art-a-Thon" and help Mason FISH

2009-06-29T15:47:00.000-07:00

Support the arts and feed the hungry - all at the same time! Come to the Proctor Farmers' Market on Saturday, July 25 from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. for the first-ever "Art-a-Thon." Artists from the Proctor Art Gallery will be creating all day at the market in support of the FISH Mason Food Bank. You can make a pledge for your favorite artist or make a donation. Proceeds will allow the food bank to purchase fresh produce for distribution. For more information, please contact Carolyn Burt at 253-759-4238 or email info@betterproperties.com.

Thanks to DSHS staff

2009-06-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

Vicky McLaurin, FISH board member and Community Relations Manager for DSHS CSD Region 5, reports that the staff of the Pierce South CSO raised $269.98 in a Penny Drive to benefit Southeast FISH. CSO staff were responding to the news that Southeast FISH served 13,117 individuals in April, a 57% increase over the same time last year.

We can provide $4 worth of food for every dollar donated, so the generous folks at Pierce South CSO have provided nearly $1100 worth of food. Thanks so much to all those who participated, to Maren Yeager for organizing the Penny Drive, and to Vicky for letting us know about it!

The FISH play for FISH

2009-06-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

Westminster Presbyterian Church rocked last night with the sounds of Maurice the Fish recording artists who teamed up for "Will Play for Food," the second annual benefit concert for SE FISH.

Many, many, many thanks to organizer Raymond Hayden, to all the artists and to the attendees who collectively raised $1700 for SE FISH, more than doubling last year's total.

Pastor Heather James of Westminster Pres opened the show with a welcome, then turned the mic over to emcee Cliff Lenderman.

The first act was singer/songwriter Heidi Vladyka.

Members of Seven Mile Ride backed singer/songwriter Valerie Dillon before performing their own set.

Thanks again to all to helped to support Southeast FISH through last night's event. Learn more about all of the evening's artists at at Maurice the Fish Records.

Welcome to our new blog!

2009-05-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome to FISH Wrap, your source for all that's news at FISH Food Banks! Watch this space for news, event announcements, volunteer opportunities, recipes, money-saving tips and more.

It's no news that the need for food assistance has never been greater. We've been feeding Pierce County residents in need since 1973, and we've never seen such demand at our seven food bank sites. Since the beginning of the year, our client totals have increased by 40 percent.

With such an increase in need, and so many new clients, we are constantly looking for ways to be even more responsive. If you can help, consider making a donation of time, money or food. If you need help, see our list of food bank locations. If you’re a new client, here are some simple things you should know.

We want to hear from you - what would you like to see in FISH Wrap? Email us!