Northshore Give Help
Give Help
In Northshore we share what we know and give our time to help weave a bigger and stronger net to help fill the gaps that often leave people hungry. In addition to the Food Banks and Community Meals information, here are some other opportunities to help …
Skyview Middle School PTSA, Skyview Middle School, North Creek High School PTSA and North Creek High School have joined forces to expand Skyview’s current food pantry. This means that more Skyview and North Creek families will be able to use this valuable resource. For contact information about Skyview and a list of most-needed items there go to https://skyviewmsptsa.org/Page/Pta/FoodPantry-HelpStock For contact information about North Creek and a list of the most-needed items there go to https://northcreekptsa.com/Page/Food%20Pantry/Help%20Stock%20the%20Pantry
Frank Love Elementary School PTA and Frank Love Elem. School are partners in a food bank that provides many basic food and personal hygiene supplies for FLE families. Non-perishable items - the ingredients for a nutritious family meal (canned soup, vegetables, and fruit for example), laundry detergent and shampoo - are packed and delivered to FLE familes on a regular basis. Support from the community is always welcome and much appreciated. For details, please contact Shannon Naugle at snaugle@nsd.org
Ruby Bridges Elementary School PTSA, the school counselor and the school nurse have created a food bank to help support RBE families in need. In addition to non-perishable food, personal hygiene items, baby items (diapers, wipes), and household cleaning supplies are most welcome. For the most-needed list, donation/drop off information, and contact details please go to https://sites.google.com/apps.nsd.org/ruby-bridges-counseling/rbe-food-pantry?authuser=0
Bothell High School has created the Cougar Pantry, a drop-in food resource for BHS families. Current hours are 8.00 a.m. - 3.30 p.m. Check in at the school main office and coordinator Wendy Wands (wwands@nsd.org) will help you. Basic non-perishable food items, toiletries, cleaning supplies, paper products, and baby items are on the donation needs list right now and can be dropped off at the school main office.
Camp Unity Eastside. Our neighbors at CUE are currently being hosted by Saint Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church on Woodinville-Duvall Road. Many thanks to everyone who helped with the recent move. The CUE meal calendar has lots of openings - details can be found at https://campunityeastside.com/ - so take a moment to check it out. CUE currently has around 15 residents. No time to cook? There's a suggestion on the CUE website. You can also find up to date information about CUE on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/campunityeastside/
Lake Washington United Methodist Church, 7525 132nd Ave NE, Kirkland, has a Safe Parking Program for women and families living in their cars, and every evening a free dinner is provided by volunteers. If you or your organization would like to learn more about how to provide a warm meal please go to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d45ada823a1f5c43-meals
Access to good healthy produce is a challenge for a lot of people, and that's where Farms for Life (FFL) comes in. FFL, a local (Woodinville/Redmond) non-profit, works to support our local farmers by purchasing their surplus produce and donating this bounty to a number of community agencies that provide essential food services to our neighbors who need them. For information about FFL, go to https://www.farmsforlife.org/
Have you heard about EastWest Food Rescue? This grassroots movement organizes the pick up of fresh Eastern WA produce that would otherwise spoil in the fields, and transports it to food banks in the Seattle area and beyond. Farmers are compensated for their work, and the folks who really need good healthy produce are benefiting. For information please check out https://www.facebook.com/eastwestfoodrescue/
If your organization is looking for a way to help the community by funding a food truck meal, a series of meals, and/or offering a site location for distribution of food truck meals, Lori Johnston, Exec. Director of the Washington State Food Truck Association LLC is the person to contact. Lori's email is lorij@wafoodtrucks.org. Her phone # is 360 223 3801. Your group could fly solo on this, or partner with another like-minded organization.
Another way you can help is to support local businesses: groceries, coffee shops, restaurants, catering companies, etc. Many have on-line ordering, curb-side pick up, and delivery options, so check them out.
The Northshore Senior Center in Bothell is looking for Food Bank volunteers. Every volunteer must be able to do all the jobs - ability to frequently lift up to 50 lbs, ability to move around easily, provide friendly, respectful customer service, for example - in a team-based, fast-paced environment. For complete details of the volunteer requirements, including hours and information on the volunteer application process, please contact Volunteer@mynorthshore.org or call 425 286 1032.
Hopelink has lots of volunteer slots at various sites. Check them out at https://hopelink.volunteerhub.com/
Donating to a Food Bank
Our local food banks and pantries are doing a stellar job keeping their shelves well-stocked due in no small part to the generosity of friends, neighbors, and community food drives. We really are in this together, and the more we can help each other the better.
Over the last year food bank providers have learned a lot because of the necessity to shift to pre-packed bags of groceries. Increasingly, they’re offering food that meets people’s needs, for example many raw ingredients may not be of much help to a client who doesn’t have a kitchen; re-thinking packaging to take account of clients who use public transportation or ride a bicycle. Being mindful of these needs goes a long way towards building trust and helps strengthen everyone in the community.
Most food banks have a '‘most needed’ list so check that our first. If there’s no ‘most needed’ list, some suggested items can be found here. Some general information about donating can be found here. As you gather items, check the ‘best by’ date on the cans/packages you’re planning to donate and if the date is illegible or non-existent, toss out the item. If the ‘best by’ date has passed, use your best judgement or better yet call the food bank to ask if they’ll take it. All cans and packages must be undamaged and unopened. And, be sure to follow any donation drop-off guidelines.