(Photo provided by West Seattle Food Bank, as Admiral Co-Op Preschool students celebrate recent donation drive)
By Lauri Hennessey
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
With just over a week to go till Christmas, the West Seattle Food Bank is finding plenty of need in the community, and supplies are dwindling. In fact, the food bank has seen a 27 percent increase in the number of households served over a year ago.
The food bank has also seen an increase in the number of times individual families need the food bank, with a 17 percent increase in the number of times households are coming to the food bank.
Still, Executive Director Fran Yeatts is hopefuly the food bank will continue to weather the storm, to a large degree because of the ongoing generosity of the West Seattle community.
We asked what they need for Christmas – read on for the answer, as the story continues:
“I really want to thank this community,” Yeatts said. “When they see a need, they step up. Most nonprofits are really struggling right now. We are going to be okay, because of this amazing community.”
Yeatts said it is always hard to see the people struggling to make ends meet, but this year is obviously harder than a year ago. Last month, they gave out food 3,000 times. People are more stressed, more worried. She said it is hard on the food bank’s volunteers, too, who help the customers handle inevitably long lines on distribution days, and donations have been low the last couple of months, no surprise given the economic climate. That makes it especially critical for people to support the food bank and other local charitable organizations this season, and into January.
She said West Seattleites who want to help can donate both food and money. She said the food bank always needs protein and fresh produce. This Christmas the food bank will be giving chicken for families that come in. If people donate turkeys or hams, the food bank will find larger families in need and give those items out, too.
You can donate food items through next Monday, and the food can be distributed in time for the holidays. Next week the food bank will distribute food to senior citizens on Monday from 9:30 to 11. The food bank will have general distribution on Tuesday the 22nd from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesday the 23rd from 4 to 7 p.m.
After the holiday week, the food bank returns to regular distribution times (Tuesdays from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. for seniors, Wednesdays from 4 to 7 p.m. and Thursdays from 10 to 1 for general public.) The food bank is located at the corner of 35th and Morgan in West Seattle (3419 SW Morgan); money can be donated online by going here. You can also call them at 932-9023.
Tomorrow, we will look at the White Center Food Bank, which has also seen a drastic increase in need.
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