Giving Back…Ways Couponers Can Help! Food Banks in Western Washington & Oregon

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This is a great time of year to give thanks for all that we have been blessed with and to help those who may not be as fortunate.  We recently had a speaker come to our MOPS group, Bill Bowers from the One Another Foundation (awesome speaker by the way – I highly recommend him if you’re looking for a speaker for your local group) & he shared about a variety of programs serving those in the community just here in Pierce County. It really resonated with me that even though I do have young children & I often think that there are not always a lot of ways that I can serve, there really are so many opportunities out there to help people in our community.  I really want to instill in my children the love of service to others & to be generous in our giving, since God has blessed us with so much & we can in turn bless others. If you start teaching your children about giving early on, it will become a part of who they are. So, that is one of our goals for this holiday season & I will be sharing with you the opportunities that we find to hopefully give you some ideas of ways you can help in your local community.

I know for many families, budgets are so very tight & it’s hard to think about giving when you’re barely making ends meet yourselves. However, couponers often have a stockpile of items in their home or can find personal care items for free (or even better than free) and that is one way we can give back even with those tighter budgets. Have you ever thought about donating some stockpile items to a Food Bank?

In this economy, food banks are seeing more and more families utilizing their services and are having difficulties keeping up with the demand.  Maybe your family is one that has been faced by hardships this year & you are in need of a food bank or meal program to be able to food on the table as you struggle to keep up with the bills.  Hopefully this list will be a resource for you to find a location near you where you can go to get help.

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This list is by no means an exhaustive list as there are hundreds of food banks around the Northwest; many of these were submitted by readers.  If you’d like to add a location to our food bank list, make sure to leave a comment so we can add it to the list.

State Resources:

Northwest Harvest.Org:   One of the best resources I found for Washington state was the Northwest Harvest website. They have a list where you can search by county to find a list of food banks & meal programs for your area. This is a great resource for those of you who need these services, as well as a resource for those who want to find out a way to help – either by donating food or money to these programs or even volunteering your time to help out at one of these programs.

Oregon Food Bank – This also is a great resource for those in Oregon providing a list of food banks across the state that are part of their network. They distribute food to 20 local food banks, which then in turn distribute food to 947 agencies & programs around Oregon.

Food Banks in Western Washington and Oregon:

South Sound:

All Saints Parish Food Bank – Puyallup, WA; For more information, call (253) 848-2000.

Emmanuel Food Bank – Sumner, WA; For more information, call Arlene at (253) 350-4899 or email her at [email protected].

Families Unlimited Network (aka. University Place Food Bank) – University Place/Fircrest, WA; Donation drop-off: 12:00pm – 3:00pm on Tuesday and 10:00am – 12:00pm on Saturday; If you have a donation and cannot be there during open hours, there are drop-off bins in area churches. For more information, call (253) 460-3134.

FISH Food Banks – Pierce County, WA; For more information, call Marcus (Lakes Area location) at (253) 581-1116 or email him at [email protected].

Free Cakes for Kids South Sound – South Sound region, WA; They donate birthday cakes to children. Visit the website for a list of items needed. For more information, call (253) 267-5686 or email [email protected].

Maple Valley Food Bank and Emergency Services – Maple Valley, WA; 8:00am – 4:00pm on Monday – Thursday, 5:30pm – 7:00pm on the second Thursday of the month, and 8:00am – 11:00am on Saturday; For more information, call (425) 432-8139.

Multi-Service Center Food and Clothing Bank – Federal Way, WA; Donation drop-off: 8:30am – 4:00pm on Monday – Friday; For more information, call (253) 838-6810 or email [email protected].

Northwest Foursquare Church – Federal Way, WA; This food pantry is open to those who attend Northwest Foursquare Church. The location is open on Wednesdays from 9:00am – 10:00am. For more information, call Sondra at (253) 838-6321 ext. 260.

Plateau Outreach Ministries – Enumclaw, WA; For more information, call Denise at (360) 825-8961.

Real Life Family Center Resource Center – Tacoma, WA; Donation drop-off: 8:00am – 6:00pm daily; This food bank is a part of Real Life Family Center. Donations are taken right inside the church doors. For more information, call Sean at (253) 267-4675.

The Rescue Mission – Tacoma, WA; Donation drop-off: 10:00am – 4:00pm on Monday – Friday and 9:00am – 1:00pm on Saturday; For more information, call (253) 383-4493.

St. Francis House – Puyallup, WA; Donation drop-off: 10:00am – 5:30pm on Monday – Friday and 10:00am – 3:00pm on Saturday; St. Francis House is always in need of monetary donations, as well as good, quality used clothing and household goods.  All of the donation items will go directly to families in need. St. Francis keeps a small emergency supply of food on hand for times when clients can’t access local food banks. For more information, call (253) 848-3618.

Puyallup Food Bank – Puyallup, WA; Donation drop-off: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday between 9:15am and 3:00pm. Call 253-848-5240 to set up an appointment to drop off food. The food bank is located here: 110 23rd St SE; Puyallup, WA 98372

Orting Food Bank – Orting, WA; Hours are Wednesdays 12pm – 3pm (Oct 1 – April 30th) & Wednesdays  9am-12pm from May 1- Sept 30; Call 360 893 3150 for more information

North Sound:

Canyon Hills Community Church Food Bank – Bothell, WA; Donation drop-off: 9:00am – 5:00pm daily; The first trip to the food bank is free. After that, you must show proof of need. There are barrels throughout the building labeled Food Bank. Feel free to bring in any non-perishable items (no food beyond the expiration date). Financial donations are used to purchase fresh dairy, produce, and meat. Address boundaries apply (boundaries do not apply to CHCC members). For more information, call Vicki at (425) 488-4121 or email her at [email protected].

Eastside Baby Corner – Issaquah, WA; Donation drop-off: 5:30pm – 8:30pm on Mondays, 9:00am – 11:00am on Thursdays, and 9:00am – 12:00pm on Saturdays; They help children ages birth to 12. See the website for specifics on items they do or do not take. For more information, call (425) 865-0234 or email [email protected].

Everett Gospel Mission – Everett, WA; Donation drop-off: anytime; For more information, call (425) 252-1297.

His Pantry – Camano Island, WA; Donation drop-off: call the phone number below to arrange a time; Open day for those receiving assistance is 12:00pm – 1:30pm on Mondays. For more information, call (360) 387-7202.

Lynnwood Food Bank – Lynnwood, WA; Donation drop-off: after 10:00am on Monday – Friday; They prefer that fresh and frozen foods be dropped off Monday – Wednesday, as they give out to the public on Wednesday afternoon and don’t have a lot of space to store cold items. For more information, call (425) 745-1635.

Marysville Community Food Bank – Marysville, WA; Donation drop-off: 8:00am – 11:00am on Monday – Saturday; For more information, call (360) 658-1054.

Mount Si Food Bank – North Bend, WA; Donation drop-off: 10:00am – 1:00pm on Mondays, 9:00am – 10:30am on Tuesdays, and 9:00am – 6:30pm on Wednesdays; For more information, call (425) 888-0096.

Salvation Army Renton Rotary Food Bank – Renton, WA; Donation drop-off: 8:30am – 11:30am and 12:30pm – 3:30pm on Monday – Friday; During Thanksgiving and Christmas they give complete meals, including a turkey or a ham. For kids, they offer gifts for holidays. For more information, call (425) 255-5969.

Sky Valley Food Bank – Monroe, WA; 8:00am – 11:30am on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and 5:30pm – 7:00pm on Monday evenings; There are alternative donation drop-off points at Cascade Community Church, Windermere Realty, and Monroe Glass – all in Monroe. For more information, call (360) 794-7959.

Westgate Chapel Food and Clothing Bank – Edmonds, WA; Donation drop-off: 8:00am – 5:00pm on Monday – Friday; Dry and canned goods and clothes can be donated at drop boxes any time the church building is open. To donate perishables, please contact the Emergency Services phone number to arrange a drop-off. For more information, call (425) 977-4500.

Vancouver/Portland:

Help Warehouse – Longview, WA; For more information, call (360) 425-3430.

Share of Vancouver – Vancouver, WA; For more information, call (360) 695-7658.

The Helping Hand of Oregon – Portland, OR; Donation drop-off: anytime; This small non-profit makes lunches for people who are waiting to find work. See the website for a list of items typically used. For more information, call Julie at (971) 221-6366.

Oregon Food Bank – Portland, OR; For more information, click here and contact the food bank branch of your choice.

Other Western Oregon Locations:

Barney’s Pantry – Gresham, OR; This was set up by the Associated Student Government at Mt. Hood Community College to help students. For more information, call Associated Student Government at (503) 491-7224.

The Father’s Heart – Clackamas, OR; Donation drop-off: 9:00am – 3:00pm on Tuesday – Friday; There’s an extensive list of needs on their website. Sack lunches are provided Tuesday – Friday, and hot lunch is provided many days. In the freezing weather, doors are open all night and up to 100 people spend the night. Lots of resources are available – showers, clothing, computer resources, haircuts, etc. For more information, call Teri or Troy at (503) 722-9780.

Food for Lane County – Eugene, OR; Donation drop-off: 8:00am – 5:00pm on Monday – Friday; You can also drop off packaged and canned foods at Goodwill stores and Northwest Community Credit Unions in the area. For more information, call (541) 343-2822.

Jubilee Food Pantry – Hubbard, OR; Donation drop-off: anytime; The Jubilee Food Pantry was opened in May of 2010 to serve the small rural community of Hubbard, OR and surrounding areas. The food pantry is open for distribution of food at 4:00pm – 8:00pm on Tuesdays. You can drop off donations at any time by leaving them on the porch. For more information, call Andy at (503) 819-5941 or email him at [email protected].

My Father’s House – Gresham, OR; Donation drop-off: 1:00pm – 4:00pm on Monday – Saturday; The Donation Center is located at 5003 W. Powell Blvd. in Gresham, near the intersection of SE 175th and Powell Blvd. For more information, call (503) 492-3046.