If you need equipment and supplies to stay warm this winter, please call or stop by the Food Bank. Depending availability, these items can be provided:
Sleeping Bags
Tents & Tarps
Blankets
Backpacks
Jackets
Hats & Gloves
We rely on donations from our community and partners to meet the demand of those living without permanent shelter.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
by Kathy Moe, Executive Director
In March 2020, we started to see the true scope of hunger in our community and just how thin the line between poverty and survival had become. There were more and more families coming forward with needs, many that had never asked for assistance before.
Fast forward 22 months and we are still talking about and living through the Covid 19 pandemic. Food banks have become the major support for food and supplies for families around the United States. In this community, we are still seeing lines of families needing food, clothing and supplies such as tents, sleeping bags, blankets and toiletries.
As we were preparing for our annual fundraising breakfast in November, it occurred to the committee that the food bank had been open and serving the community non-stop for more than 20 months. Our doors are open six days a week and serve the public two days; however, if there is a need we meet that need. A day does not go by that we don ‘t serve someone who is hungry, without proper clothing or just needs someone to listen to their story. We couldn’t do this without your
support!
Hope Against Hunger is the food bank’s only annual fundraiser and it helps keep food on the tables of your neighbors all year long. This fundraiser couldn’t happen without our sponsors! We had five platinum, four gold and six silver sponsors this year. Thank you for all you do for the food bank!
During 2021, the food bank has served more than 2,000 households and provided a warm coat to more than 1100 children through Warm Coats for Kids. H.O.P.E Meals for Kids Backpack program distributed 34,141 meals. More than 1400 children were given a magical Christmas through Christmas House this season.
Because of you, We Never Stop!
We cannot thank you enough!!!
Kathy Moe
The Christmas House
For more than 25 years, Stanwood Camano Food Bank Services (SCFBS) has been giving the gift of Christmas to children in need in our community. These are all new items donated to the program and financial gifts are given so the volunteers can shop the sales all year to create the inventory for The Christmas House.
This program is run entirely with volunteers! Thank you! They work non-stop to get gifts that are needed, set up the house, which is at The Caring Place by Our Saviors Lutheran Church, and then start shopping for the families that have registered their children for the program.
This year The Christmas House gave a magical Christmas to more than 1400 children in this community! Many of whom would not have had anything under the tree on Christmas morning.
We couldn’t do it without the support of this great community!
Again, thank you to the volunteers and donors that make The Christmas House happen each and every year!
If you would like to help, visit stanwoodcamanofoodbank.org to sign up to volunteer. Or if you would like to give to this program go to the donate button on the website and designate your donation to this valuable program.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Wendy Foster
We are excited to announce that we will be returning to our grocery store model hopefully in March 2022! The grocery store model offers our members a more dignified way to receive food, as they are encouraged to come in and choose their own groceries to take home to their families. Volunteers are still needed as they keep the shelves stocked to provide plenty of choices. Our clientele has expressed how much they miss the opportunity to select the items they need to make their family recipes.
During the last two years, the food bank has undergone a total pivot in order to make sure that hungry families receive the food they need. We serve members curbside with pre-made boxes of shelf-stable food and then volunteers shop for perishable items, such as meat, poultry, fresh vegetables, eggs and butter. Everything is delivered curbside in front of the food bank. This works great; however, we know our members would enjoy being able to choose their own food for their families.
We will be inviting you to come help reset our food bank and gift our members with the return of a little normalcy. If you’d like to help with the restoration, please contact Wendy Foster at communityoutreach@scfbs.org, or call (360)629-2789 X 315.
VISION
Stanwood Camano Food Bank Services envisions a community where hunger is defeated and basic needs are satisfied.
VOLUNTEER CORNER
We put out “the call to arms” for new volunteers in the local newspapers, and we are very excited the community answered the call! We received twice as many inquiries about becoming a volunteer as we have in the past. So many people are looking for ways to give back to the community in a fun and social atmosphere. It’s the organization’s goal to get as many volunteers as possible on board and oriented to help in the months ahead.
Charman Hileman gets the volunteer spotlight this month for all her hard work and efforts at the food bank and thrift store. She has been volunteering several days per week since she moved to Washington last year. Her husband, Curt, was recently hired as a staff member and Charman volunteers her time along with him. She is always upbeat and a friend to everyone. Charman is great at training new volunteers and has knowledge of so many working components of the organization.
Charman also helped us with our Hope Against Hunger video production. She is a true light in the organization and in this community. Thank you Charman for all your volunteer efforts!
Charman Hileman, Volunteer
Thrift Store News
Fundraising Breakfast
Jennifer Child accepted the position as Thrift Store Manager at the Stanwood Camano Food Bank and Thrift Store as of November 2021. An archeologist by trade, she brings to this position a strong leadership acumen and a commitment to excellence, which will be instrumental in our journey to better unite and create synergies between the thrift store and the food bank operations. Jennifer has already hired an Assistant Thrift Store Manager, Kassandra (Sandy) Jones, who started during the holidays. Sandy is a great addition to the team.
Jennifer will help create the optimal balance of organizational harmony, employee and volunteer engagement and overall customer satisfaction. All while continuing to support the organization’s mission of providing resources and connections to alleviate hunger and meet the basic needs of individuals and families in our community.
Jennifer Child, Thrift Store Manager
So Many Ways to Thank you!
There are so many ways to give to the Food Bank! People give of their time by volunteering – we couldn’t do it without them. People give through in-kind donations such as food through our Simple Gesture program (sign up on our website!). We are very grateful for all in-kind donations as they keep the Food Bank running. People also give through monetary donations and these gifts are essential for all expenditures.
Hope Against Hunger was a huge success this year bringing in over $233,000! Stillaguamish Tribe contributed to the Food Bank in a big way with a donation of $300,000!
Thank you for everything you do for our community and the Food Bank!
Kathy Moe
