Food bank to feed 20% more people in 2020

As the pandemic continues, the need for food is rising.

Local food banks are seeing a spike in the number of people they’re feeding each month.

On Thursday, the Thurston County Food Bank hosted its weekly food distribution pop-up at St. Martin’s University in Lacey.

“This is absolutely amazing, it’s so helpful. There’s so many families affected right now with COVID and just the uncertainty of working hours and just being able to buy basic supplies, so this is a wonderful effort by the community and it’s really awesome to have this support,” said Ariel Candies.

Candies couldn’t be more thankful.

“The food that we’ve received today I’m going to be sharing with my coworker who has five children and it’s just really great,” she said.

The food bank has been hosting pop-ups since mid-March. It partners with local spots, like St. Martin’s University and Mountain View Church, so people can easily stop by and get what they need.

Food bank staff expected to give meals to about 180 families Thursday. People can also pick up free diapers and wipes.

The need for food and supplies is growing. When unemployment bonuses ended a few weeks ago, the food bank saw a surge in visitors.

“Last week, at the very start, we had almost 50, 60 cars lined up, we were barely getting started,” said volunteer Carlos Del Angel Evans.

The food bank typically serves about 57,000 people a year. This year, need is already up nearly 20%, which means in 2020 it will serve close to 70,000 people.

“In that group we’ve got about a fifth of the group that has never reached out or asked for help before,” said Judy Jones, Thurston County Food Bank Development Director.

For volunteers, the work is rewarding.

“People are so appreciative, they appreciate the safety, the efficiency, the frequency and the quantity and quality of food folks are getting, so I feel great about being here,” said Jones.

Those picking up food said it's heartwarming to know that others care.

“I don’t know what our community would do if we didn’t have the volunteers and the support, it’s absolutely necessary,” said Candies.

Thurston County Food Bank holds pop-up food distributions every Thursday from 10 a.m. through 3 p.m. The next one will be held Aug. 27 at Mountain View Church in Tumwater.

The food bank is open to all families in the area who need assistance.

If you’d like to help, you can donate to the Thurston County Food Bank here: https://thurstoncountyfoodbank.org/donating/

Cox Media Group