Learn About us
our History
The Stanwood Camano Food Bank provides assistance to more than a thousand community members. With the help of our generous donors, we provide a wide variety of food, as well as pet food and basic toiletries to those in need. This generosity translates into essential assistance to children, seniors, working poor, single adults, homeless, and families of all backgrounds.
The Stanwood Camano Food Bank mission is made possible by the generosity of our wonderful community. First, are the hundreds of volunteers who, each month, provide about two thousand hours of service. Second, the food bank rescues hundreds of pounds of produce, dairy, and bread from grocery store partners. Third, many generous individuals support Stanwood Camano Food Bank by donations to both the Food Bank and the Thrift Store.
Jeanie Ovenell, founder of the Stanwood Camano Food Bank and Thrift Store. Jeanie started the food bank in the 1970’s and the Articles of Incorporation were signed in October 1981 becoming the official Stanwood Camano Food Bank Services.
With this tremendous community support, the Stanwood Camano Food Bank serves over 1,500 families per month, distributing over 1,000,000 pounds of food.
our Mission
Stanwood Camano Food Bank provides resources and connections to alleviate hunger and meet the basic needs of individuals and families in our community.
our Vision
Stanwood Camano Food Bank envisions a community where hunger is defeated, and basic needs are satisfied.
How Your Giving Has Helped Us
We distributed 1,868 coats to needy children from October 2022 to January 2023 through our Warm Coats for Kids program.
From July 2022 to January 2023, we distributed 100,000 meals to needy children through H.O.P.E. Meals for Kids.
Through the Christmas House program, we gave 1,633 presents to children during the holiday season in 2022.
A Little Goes a long Way
Only $6 to give hope
$6.00 feeds a family of four (4) a complete dinner
Help For Students
1,400 children in the Stanwood Camano School District are on a free or reduced lunch program.
Care for community
82,000 individuals are struggling with food insecurity in Snohomish and Island Counties
Help us take better care of our neighbors
Help us reach our vision
Meet Our Team
Yvonne
Executive Director (She/Her)
K-Lee
Food Bank Manager (She/Her)
FPC
Program Coordinator
Stephanie
Thrift Store Manager (She/Her)
Shia
Program Coordinator
Bookkeeper
BK
Chris
Collectibles Appraiser (She/Any)
Patrice
Thrift Store Team Member (She/Her)
Leila
Volunteer Resource Manager (She/Her)
Maggie
Programs Manager (She/Her)
Denise
Thrift Store Team Member (She/Her)
Deb
Thrift Store Team Member (She/Her)
Board of Directors
Randy Serroels
Randy has over 35 years of experience in medical device Engineering and Operations management. Giving back to the community is an important part of his life. Randy has been a United Way Campaign chairman, a member of the University of Washington Bothell Business Advisory Council, and has served as an officer and board member of Imagine Housing. Randy has been a resident of Camano Island since 2004, and believes that helping meet our community’s basic needs is fundamental to a vibrant and prosperous community.
Mike McFarlan
Bio Coming Soon!
Myra Reinhardt
Vice President & Branch Manager Coastal Community Bank in Stanwood and Camano Island. My connection with the Stanwood Camano Foodbank is a constant reminder of our amazing the community and how fortunate I am to I live, work, and volunteer here. I continue to be inspired by those that come forward to share their time, talent, and treasure to benefit our neighbors who are in need.
Naomi Wark
Naomi Wark retired to beautiful Camano Island in 2013. Without the pressures and time-constraints of the work-day and raising a family, Naomi focused on finding a balance in pursuing her interest in writing and her desire to share her time, talent, and treasure with the Stanwood-Camano community. One of her main goals was to join a writer’s group. Her involvement with like-minded, serious, writers through the Skagit Valley Writer’s League, pushed her to complete her long-worked-on novel, Wildflowers in Winter. She is busy at work on its prequel, Songs of Spring. When she is not volunteering or writing, Naomi enjoys gardening, cooking, and gathering the bounty from their small vegetable garden. Besides the Stanwood Camano Food Bank, Naomi is active in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, through St. Cecilia Parish, which assists families in our community with financial aid and a listening ear. In her earlier years, Naomi worked primarily in the accounting and bookkeeping field, but also owned a travel agency whose clientele included many Seattle Mariners from the 1995 team, including Ken Griffey Jr., and Jay Buhner. Naomi spent ten years working for Clowns Unlimited as SPROUT, performing both as a clown and a balloon artist for birthday parties, corporate picnics, Christmas parties, other company events.
Paula Thomas
With 30 years of cross-functional achievements across a wide range of sectors and companies from Fortune 500 to small businesses and startups, Paula brings a broad perspective to the Stanwood Camano Food Bank Board where she is passionate about contributing to the organization’s next phase of growth, having served as a volunteer for the past 8 years. Her career expertise spans business development, consulting, marketing, and technology innovation, having spent most recently 16 years at Microsoft US and 5 years abroad in various leadership roles. A resident of Camano Island for 22 years, she currently works part time as an Advisor for Pivotal Consulting on the Microsoft account where she brings her global industry experience to various teams and key stakeholders. As a former teacher in her early career, she is passionate about mentoring students and currently volunteers as an Advisor for the UW Foster Business school coaching teams and local businesses. In 2018, she enrolled in the Executive Women’s Board Program at UW to add to her service portfolio and previous nonprofit board experience from Catch22Market, a Seattle start up, from the Society for Information Management Seattle, and from Retail Orphan Initiative, California. With an entrepreneurial spirit, she has a track record of helping businesses navigate through multiple stages of growth, and as such she is thrilled to give back and serve on this board where she can contribute to helping the Food Bank accelerate to “best in class” status in our amazing community. Outside of volunteering and work, Paula loves organic gardening, culinary arts and traveling with her husband to her favorite places in France and Italy.
Steve Dulaney
Steve Dulaney is a lifelong Washington resident and graduate of the University of Washington Foster School of Business. After a 20-year career in high tech, he went back to school in 2006 to earn a Masters in Counseling Psychology and now has a practice in the area as a Washington State Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Steve has been married to his wife Elaina for over 30 years and together they love serving in the Stanwood-Camano community. Steve and Elaina enjoy traveling, boating, Husky Football and being outdoors. He strongly believes that food scarcity is something that no one in this area should endure, and that when people come together to serve others great things can be achieved.
Paul Dressel
In 2018, Paul retired from Wells Fargo Private Bank ending a 39 year banking career. He and his wife, Brenda, moved the same week from Bellevue to their home on Camano Island. In addition to financial experience, Paul brings community service experience to the Board Member role. He was a Bellevue Rotarian and served on the boards of the Greater Northwest Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Imagine Housing, and The Washington State Soccer League. Paul is honored to have the opportunity to join the Stanwood Camano Foodbank Board in service to our community.
Christine Russell
For Christine Russell, people come first. “Integrity is at the core of all that I am and do,” she said. “I have led a successful career in sales because I listen. I care. I lead.” Christine served as events director for the Future of Flight Aviation Center and Boeing Tour at Paine Field in Everett for seven years. She is now a licensed real estate broker for Windermere on Camano Island. She said she thrives in environments that include multi-tasking, pressure and negotiation. She was born and raised in the Puget Sound region and likes to immerse herself in culture, natural surroundings and adventure – especially travel. She achieved her rescue diver certification through National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) after more than 3,000 scuba dives in the cold waters of the Salish Sea. Christine lives on Camano Island with her husband, Michael. “We absolutely love the overwhelming abundance of community support the island, Stanwood and the region offers.”
Barb Athanas
Barb looks back on her career in three segments that shaped who she is today. She owned a florist shop in Mill Creek for 10 years. “I built a thriving business that I found was not only profitable but so very rewarding,” she said. “Flowers are an amazing representation of feelings, caring, celebration, empathy and connection.” As her business grew, the city did as well and she was invited to join the Rotary Club. “Another growth journey that brought me closer to community and people: ‘Service Above Self,’ the motto of Rotary.” It was her involvement with the organization over 17 years that evolved into beginning and operating a food bank where she managed a staff of volunteers for two years. “Therein lies my passion for our food bank here,” she said. Barb has been a broker with Windermere Real Estate for 23 years – the last year on Camano Island where she now enjoys her home. “The life tools I have learned on this journey have been priceless and I know I am in the right place,” she said. The motto she lives by is treating all people with Integrity, truth, kindness and trust; guiding principles that continue to serve her well.
Deb Narcisso
Deb comes from a family which values service to the community that includes environmental protection, education, native culture and social work. The preponderance of her career has been in the financial and administrative leadership of educational-focused nonprofit organizations. In 2016, Deb retired from her Washington D.C.- based position, allowing her to join her husband’s financial consulting firm, which provides financial advice and support for small to mid-size non-profit organizations. After years of living in the District of Columbia, she and her husband were thrilled to move to her former family home on Camano Island in 2020. She quickly began looking to become more involved within her community and began volunteering at the Stanwood Camano Food Bank that fall. She is deeply impressed with the organization and its forward-thinking mission. It’s Deb’s hope to contribute to the advancement of that mission with the skills she has gained over her career.
Evan Caldwell
Prior to joining Stanwood-Camano School District as Director of Communications in October 2022, Evan spent 20 years in the newspaper industry as a reporter, photographer, page designer, editor and manager. He worked at Stanwood Camano News from 2015 to 2022, including as editor. Joining the Stanwood Camano Food Bank Services board allows Evan to further serve the community he and his family are proud to call home.
Christine Russell
For Christine Russell, people come first. “Integrity is at the core of all that I am and do,” she said. “I have led a successful career in sales because I listen. I care. I lead.” Christine served as events director for the Future of Flight Aviation Center and Boeing Tour at Paine Field in Everett for seven years. She is now a licensed real estate broker for Windermere on Camano Island. She said she thrives in environments that include multi-tasking, pressure and negotiation. She was born and raised in the Puget Sound region and likes to immerse herself in culture, natural surroundings and adventure – especially travel. She achieved her rescue diver certification through National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) after more than 3,000 scuba dives in the cold waters of the Salish Sea. Christine lives on Camano Island with her husband, Michael. “We absolutely love the overwhelming abundance of community support the island, Stanwood and the region offers.”
Barb Athanas
Barb looks back on her career in three segments that shaped who she is today. She owned a florist shop in Mill Creek for 10 years. “I built a thriving business that I found was not only profitable but so very rewarding,” she said. “Flowers are an amazing representation of feelings, caring, celebration, empathy and connection.” As her business grew, the city did as well and she was invited to join the Rotary Club. “Another growth journey that brought me closer to community and people: ‘Service Above Self,’ the motto of Rotary.” It was her involvement with the organization over 17 years that evolved into beginning and operating a food bank where she managed a staff of volunteers for two years. “Therein lies my passion for our food bank here,” she said. Barb has been a broker with Windermere Real Estate for 23 years – the last year on Camano Island where she now enjoys her home. “The life tools I have learned on this journey have been priceless and I know I am in the right place,” she said. The motto she lives by is treating all people with Integrity, truth, kindness and trust; guiding principles that continue to serve her well.
Deb Narcisso
Deb comes from a family which values service to the community that includes environmental protection, education, native culture and social work. The preponderance of her career has been in the financial and administrative leadership of educational-focused nonprofit organizations. In 2016, Deb retired from her Washington D.C.- based position, allowing her to join her husband’s financial consulting firm, which provides financial advice and support for small to mid-size non-profit organizations. After years of living in the District of Columbia, she and her husband were thrilled to move to her former family home on Camano Island in 2020. She quickly began looking to become more involved within her community and began volunteering at the Stanwood Camano Food Bank that fall. She is deeply impressed with the organization and its forward-thinking mission. It’s Deb’s hope to contribute to the advancement of that mission with the skills she has gained over her career.
Kelly Ruhoff
Prior to starting her professional career in real estate, Kelly spent 23 years in the media industry, beginning in radio before transitioning into newspaper journalism. She retired as editor of Stanwood Camano News in the fall of 2015. Joining the Stanwood Camano Food Bank board, gives her the opportunity to keep in touch with the community she wrote about for years – to not just tell people’s story – but to help alter their outcome.
Laurette Simmons
Laurette Simmons, PhD, of Camano Island, has had a varied career starting off with teaching math at Colegio Nueva Granada in Bogota, Colombia; and subsequently, at a middle school in Texas. She speaks three languages fluently, including Spanish, Greek and English. She earned an MBA and worked a short time as a facilities manager at Southwestern Bell before going back to school for her PhD. She taught information systems at Loyola University in Baltimore for 20 years and is now an emerita professor. After retiring early, Laurette earned her second master’s degree in teaching English as a second language and taught at Howard College in Maryland. This was her favorite teaching job since she was able to help many students get their first jobs in the U.S. Laurette’s son moved her granddaughter to Seattle, hence her rapid relocation to the beautiful Pacific NW. She has volunteered in many places including at the Seattle Rep Theater and Meals on Wheels (Camano Island), but has found the Stanwood Camano Food Bank Services to be the most rewarding, especially when she is able to help a Spanish speaker explain their needs. She and her husband split their time between Camano and Seattle but are extending their time on Camano Island more and more.