2016 Stats & New Additions for 2017

Winter 2017
IN THIS ISSUE

Food For Thought: Reflecting with Gratitude
Feature: 2016 Infographic
Getting To Know: Donors & Volunteers Linda & Tom
Staff Corner: New Additions
Upcoming Events: Food For Thought Series
Food For Thought
Reflecting with Gratitude

2016 is in our rear-view mirrors now. However, before we bid it farewell, I want to reflect a bit and then get focused on 2017. What a year! Visits to our food bank grew by 13%. We had expected some growth, but we were blown away my how much busier we ended up being. More people in need meant we needed to work even harder to get the food our families want, need, and deserve. Thankfully, we were able to manage the growth with success.
 
Much of the thanks should be directed to you. Our local community is what gave all these families access to great food. We received more donated food, funds, and time than ever before. The only way we can do our work is with your help. We really felt the support over the holidays when so many donations poured in. 
 
So, what does 2017 hold for us and our work? Well, we know we will be busy. Hunger and food insecurity is too real a situation for far too many families in Bellingham and Whatcom County. We will continue to work with food bank partners across Whatcom County to make sure they get all of the food they need. We are particularly excited about the new Foothills Food Bank that will begin being built this year. We will continue to work with local growers to give our families access to some of the best fruit and vegetables that grow here. We will continue to be supportive of, and say thank you to, all of the great folks and businesses that host food drives. And we will use monetary support to buy critical food like milk, eggs, and protein that is often missing from the traditional donation streams.
 
I look forward to doing this vital work with you. We are fired up and ready to go. Please join us in our fight again this year.

-Mike
2016 By The Numbers

2016 was a busy year! Check out some of the stats on our infographic and learn more on our website.

2016 Infographic
Getting to Know Linda & Tom

Linda and Tom Wilmore have been volunteering with and supporting BFB for about one year. In that time, they have come to learn and love many things.

What is your volunteer job?

We do the non-perishables restocking, helping clients find what they need. It's a good fit for us to get to connect with people, and we see a lot of action.

What are your favorite foods?

We like all kinds of foods. Fresh fruit, Turkish food, dolmas, lamb-filled ravioli...

What surprised you about Bellingham Food Bank?

For the size of Bellingham, it's a huge resource. The layout is great. There's no stigma. You come in and pick just what you want off the shelves. If you want candy, you can have it; it's whatever people want --that's what we really like about it.

What would you say to someone who was interested in volunteering here?

It's very busy, and you have to enjoy engaging with all kinds of people. You may have people who are troubled and you need to be understanding to help them. You have people who can't walk, or who get overwhelmed who may need assistance making decisions and guidance on how much to get.

It can also help to speak a foreign language like Spanish or Russian to help in making all clients feel welcome. 

Be ready to step in and help, but also be sensitive to boundaries and know when not to help.

What do you like to do when you're not at BFB?

We love to travel! We have trips planned to the Netherlands and South America. When we're not traveling, we like to walk, attend live theatre, and garden. We have greens, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, herbs...whatever we can grow!

What are your hopes for BFB in the future?

We would love to see BFB shut down because people don't need to come in anymore, but that's pie in the sky. The need is going to be there, so increasing outreach to people who can't get here by taking the bank to the people would be fabulous. Also, keeping the high quality, excellent produce coming by contracting with farmers. 

Parting thoughts?

We love working here and participating! The food bank is an iconic part of Bellingham.

Learn more about volunteering


Staff  Additions
Food Bank Babies!













Operations  Manager Drew Butler and his wife Lil y  welcomed  Noa Louise Grace Butler  on September 15th at 11:44 PM. She weighed 6 lbs 6 oz and was 19.5 inches long.















Grocery Rescue Trucker Melanie Dann er and her husband Levi welcomed Evelyn Ellyn Danner on January 9th at 8:59 PM. She weighed 6 lbs 6 oz and was 19.25 inches long.


Introducing Kristin Costanza, Donor Stewardship Coordinator
Kristin joined the staff in late November and is thrilled to be a part of the team!
She comes with a background in nonprofit development from Mount Baker
Theatre and Whatcom Museum, and can't wait to meet those who keep BFB
running with their donations of time, items and dollars.

Contact Kristin
Upcoming Events
Save the Date

March 23 - Taste & Tour the Bank!

Been supporting the Food Bank but never been inside? Or maybe you haven't been in since we updated our distribution model. This event is your chance to take a closer look at how we are able to safely and efficiently get food to more than 1,000 families a week.

You'll meet some of our dedicated volunteers and staff, go inside our warehouse and food storage areas, and meet people just like you who help in our fight against hunger.

RSVP by March 20 to info@bellinghamfoodbank.org | 360.676.0392

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