Happy Birthday Anthony!

Sometimes our littlest supporters are the most inspiring! Meet Anthony, who just turned 7. For his birthday, Anthony decided that instead of birthday gifts, he wanted to use the occasion to help families in need. His mom told us, "Anthony has been very aware of the hard times we are all facing and how parents work hard to support their families. It was Anthony’s idea that he did not want the guests to bring him gifts but if they brought food then we could share it with all the boys and girls whose parents cannot pay their bills." He helped his mom write the invitations for his party, which read:

Here's Anthony making his food delivery.

"During these hard and uncertain economic times Anthony would like you to know that he does not expect a birthday gift.  All Anthony would like is to be able to spend time with his friends, so please do not feel it is necessary to bring a gift. What Anthony would like to do is have a food drive.  If you could please find it in your heart and cupboard to send a canned food item with your child to the party, Anthony would like to donate the proceeds to a local food bank so that no child will feel hungry. " 

We're delighted to report that Anthony's birthday food drive was a great success, and on Saturday he and his family made a delivery to our NW Tacoma FISH Food Bank. Here's Anthony with volunteer coordinator Ron Purcella:

Ron and Anthony

Big thanks to Anthony and his family for their generosity and for serving as such an inspiration to us all. And a VERY happy belated birthday to this remarkable young man!

 
 

Big thanks to the Puyallup Tribe!

The Puyallup Tribe of Indians has awarded a $50,000 grant to FISH Food Banks of Pierce County to be used for food purchases by the Southeast FISH Food Bank. The award is the largest the food bank has ever received from the Puyallup Tribe.
Executive director Beth Elliott said, “This incredibly generous donation will go a long way toward serving clients in our busiest food bank. We deeply appreciate the Puyallup Tribe’s compassion for our neighbors in need.”
Southeast FISH, located at 1704 East 85th, is the largest and busiest of our seven fixed locations, serving about 17,000 people each month.
While most of the food that we distribute is donated by individuals, schools, churches, businesses, grocery stores and partner organizations like Northwest Harvest and the Emergency Food Network, we also makes strategic purchases of food to ensure that our clients receive a nutritionally balanced food supply. Through careful stewardship and bulk purchasing, we are able to distribute $7.00 worth of food for every $1.00 donated.

Small stature, big heart ...

Some of our most enthusiastic supporters are our youngest supporters. Take Claire, for instance. This enterprising six-year-old, who will start first grade in September, ran a lemonade stand near her home on the Fourth of July. Selling to folks on their way to the nearby Freedom Fest, Claire raised $220 for FISH Food Banks!  Way to go, Claire, and thanks to you and your parents for your generous support!

Here's our littlest entrepreneur Claire at her lemonade stand.

 

New waiting area at Edgewood FISH

Everyone at Edgewood Community FISH Food Bank is very happy to have brand-new benches in the waiting area outside the door. The new benches were the work of young Joseph Decker, who coordinated the building and installation of the benches as his Eagle Scout project.

Joseph's mom Joline and his sister Amy have been volunteering at Edgewood for a couple of years.  They're regulars on Thursday afternoons, so when Joseph was trying to decide on a project the food bank was an obvious choice.

On Memorial Day weekend, Joseph, his Scoutmaster dad John, and the Scouts of Troop 525 got the new benches installed. Joseph sought donations for the materials. He (and we) would like to thank Arrow Lumber of Buckley (especially Barney Wagner) for donating the lumber, Rodda Paint of Puyallup for donating the paint, American Presidents Lines Employees for cash donations and labor, and all the Scouts of Troop 525 for their help.  We at FISH Food Banks would like to thank Joseph for this generous support of Edgewood Community FISH - thanks so much and congratulations on achieving the recognition of Eagle Scout!

Edgewood before

  

Edgewood after

Joseph Decker and his fellow members of Troop 525 celebrate their accomplishment.

Cooking demos in our food banks

Anna setting up cooking demo
at NW Tacoma FISH

We're very excited to be working with Anna Kitchin, Nutrition Educator with the WSU Pierce County Extension Program. Anna is giving cooking demonstrations in our food banks, offering food samples and recipes for nutritious dishes utilizing food bank items. This week's recipe is Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Greens, being demonstrated at our Edgewood food bank today and Lakes tomorrow.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Greens

• 2 cups of greens such as spinach, kale or swiss chard
• 6-7 medium potatoes 
• 3-4 cloves of garlic                 
• 1/4 cup of 1% milk
• 1/2 tablespoon of butter
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1. Chop the potatoes in half then in quarters and chunks. Add to a pot of boiling water. 
2. Peel the garlic and add to the water.
   Boil for about 10-13 minutes. 
3. Wash the greens then chop or tear into small pieces. 
4. When the potatoes are done remove them from the pot and place them in a bowl. 
5. Add the greens to the pot of water. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Remove the greens and drain. 
6. Mash the potatoes. Add milk, butter, salt, pepper. Mix ingredients well. 
7. Add chopped greens. Stir gently and serve. Makes 5-6 servings. 

Provided courtesy of Washington State University Pierce County Extension.

Pierce County Gleaning Project

Have you ever watched that fruit tree on your street ripen, and noticed that most of the perfectly tasty apples ended up falling and rotting on the ground? If you hate to see good food go to waste, you’ll be relieved to hear that The Pierce County Gleaning Project is actively working towards a solution. We live in a time when thousands in our community struggle to put food on the table. Diet-related diseases in low-income populations are on the rise due to reduced access to healthy foods like fresh produce. And yet so much food just goes to waste. Gleaning is a great way to reduce food waste and relieve hunger at the same time.

The Pierce County Gleaning Project (PCGP), a collaborative effort of the Emergency Food Network, St. Leo’s Food Connection, and Rotary First Harvest, runs an urban fruit harvest in Tacoma, gleans from farms and farmers markets in the Puyallup Valley, and connects gardeners with food banks through a Plant a Row for the Hungry/Share the Harvest Program. Last year PCGP gleaned (harvested food that would otherwise go to waste) over 30,000 lbs of produce and expects to increase that this year.

Did your tomato plants produce far more than you expected this year? Do you have extra fruit on your fruit tree that you would like to see go to good use? Would you like to grow an extra row of carrots for the food bank? You can help PCGP to reduce both food waste and hunger in Pierce County.

Here’s how you can help:

Volunteer: Help pick tree fruit with your neighborhood fruit harvest group, join in on the Friday morning farm gleans, or plant an extra row for your local food bank.

1) Sign up online at www.piercecountygleaningproject.org or call 253-584-1040.

2) Attend a training to help with Tacoma fruit harvest or to learn how to set up a harvest in your own community (e.g., Gig Harbor). Training sessions will be offered:

Wednesday, July 11, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Wheelock Library, 2722 North 26^th Street

Saturday, July 21, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Moore Library, 215 South 56^th Street

Register your Fruit Tree: We can help you pick your excess tree fruit and donate it to a local food bank. If you have a fruit tree, register it online at www.piercecountygleaningproject.org or call (253) 383-5048

Gearing up for summer

The kids may be counting down to the end of the school year, and families may be looking forward to a slower pace during summer vacations, but the summer months are busy and challenging in our food banks.

For food banks, summer usually means that demand increases, while donations drop off. During the school week, for example, free and reduced price school meal programs help to ensure that kids from low-income families don't go hungry. But school vacations mean that families already struggling to make ends meet need to fill that gap, and that means increased demand on the food banks. Meanwhile, donations often hit a lull until organizations begin to gear up for fall and holiday food drives.

What can you do to help? Do you have extra produce from your garden? Consider donating it to the nearest FISH Food Bank. Fresh produce flies off our shelves when we are able to offer it. Consider a summer drive for food or funds to help stock our shelves. Remember that for every dollar donated, FISH can provide seven dollars' worth of food to hungry families -- your help makes all the difference!

Dancing the night away ...

Dancing to the beat of Daryl and the Diptones

FISH's first-ever Spring FriendRaiser was a rousing success, raising approximately $20,000 to further our work of feeding hungry people in Pierce County. The 400+ people gathered at Tacoma's Landmark Convention Center on Saturday evening mingled, munched and rocked out to the classic '60s and '70s music of Daryl and the Diptones, and a grand time was had by all. Congratulations and a big thank-you to FISH board members Barbara Reed and Marianne Hilton, who co-chaired the event.

We are especially grateful to Daryl and the Diptones and the Landmark Convention Center, whose generosity made this event possible.

Big thanks go to our major sponsors:

J.P. Work & Associates, Inc.
Olympic Eagle Distributing
Porter Brothers Construction
Schuur Bros. Inc.
Vaughn Bay Construction
Western Marine Construction

Thanks also to our table sponsors:
America’s Credit Union 
Bargreen-Ellingson
Clover Park Rotary
Exchange Club
Gray Lumber
Heritage Bank
Pierce County Health Care Providers
Willis Marketing
Randy Cook
Marianne Hilton
Rita Morkrid

Special Thanks to
Erichsen Cabinet Shop
Minuteman Press - Downtown Tacoma
Inform Puget Sound
and all of our wonderful table captains!

We're looking forward to an even bigger and better event next year!

It's never too early

... for the littlest among us to learn about helping their neighbors in need. That was the lesson when a delightful group of preschoolers from St. Luke's Memorial Episcopal Church visited Northwest FISH. The group of four- and five-year-olds toured the food bank with their teacher Terri Atkinson. Food bank coordinator Debbie Price reports, "we all discusses the families in our community that aren't always able to buy food for themselves and the importance of helping each other when people sometimes aren't able to take care of themselves." The youngsters brought food donations and a big Ziploc bag of donated coins.

St. Luke's Memorial Episcopal preschool class visits NW Tacoma FISH

Food bank coordinator Debbie Price tours the kids through the food bank

Teacher Terri Atkinson and students listen as Debbie explains how the food bank works

Looking back, looking ahead

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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!

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!

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!

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

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.