Meet Lena our Food Access Program Coordinator
Lena Kabeshita is one of the Food Bank’s three new team members who came to us through our partnership with AmeriCorps. She joined us in October 2021 to manage our two satellite pantries at North Seattle College and Mercy Magnuson and is such an important part of the work we do for the north Seattle community!
Originally from Illinois, Lena was living and interning in Yakima before coming to Seattle. She is a recent college graduate with a major in soil and crop science and a minor in women and gender studies.
What is your role at the Food Bank?
I am the Pantry Program Coordinator and I manage our two offsite pantries – North Seattle College on Tuesday nights and Mercy Magnuson place on Wednesday afternoons. I’m responsible for ordering food for the pantries, bringing the food over to each pantry and making sure they are running smoothly. I also coordinate 8-12 volunteers per week to help run the pantries.
Why were these satellite pantries created?
The satellite pantries pre-date the pandemic and were created to serve areas of need in North Seattle where there’s not a food bank nearby or affordable grocery stores. The North Seattle College Pantry was intended to support food insecure students at the college, but it has expanded beyond the student community and grown overall to fill a need among additional North Seattle households. In January 2022 we served 50 student households, 9 staff households, and 98 community member households.
We purchase food specifically for these pantries each week, then set up and break down on Tuesdays and Wednesdays but each runs a little differently. North Seattle College offers prepacked food in bags and then shoppers choose their protein with a drive-through and walk-up service style. Magnuson is more of a shopping model where guests walk through and choose what they want for the week.
How many families do you serve per week?
In January at Magnuson we served 320 households for the month and in North Seattle we served 229 households for the month. I want to give a big shout out to the volunteers who dedicate time each week to support these pantries. Their work is invaluable, and I couldn’t operate without them!
One of our regular volunteers at our Magnuson pantry passed away in February. His name was John Tuttle and he had been volunteering at Magnuson for the last year. I want to thank him for all his hard work and dedication to our cause, he will be missed by all of us.
Meet Dave, our Beloved Food Bank Greeter!
When did you start at the Food Bank?
I started in January 2020 as a checkout person inside the Food Bank. Covid-19 hit Seattle shortly after that and we shifted operations outside. I was asked to be a greeter and chat with shoppers while they waited. It was getting to be spring, and I loved being outside with people.
Tell us about being a greeter at the Food Bank?
The people here is the best part. I know the community well now – after two years of seeing the same people our regulars become my friends. I’ve gained about 2000-3000 friends working here! When people don’t come one week, I miss them.
I love speaking to them while they wait and keeping them company. Sometimes it’s standing in the rain for hours. I often like to walk around and sing and one of our customers says she comes just to hear me sing.
I’ve always been a customer service-oriented person and simply enjoy talking to people. Previously I owned a construction company where I would rebuild houses for bed and breakfasts in Tacoma and Auburn. I moved to Seattle in 2011 after meeting my wife through an accidental text and phone call where we just started talking.
What do you enjoy about the Food Bank staff?
The directors have a gift when it comes to hiring and the staff fits so well together, it’s like a family. I often am told how much I’m missed when I’m not there. The staff is so close because everyone has a common goal of making sure people’s needs are met. A lot of our shoppers are homeless and struggling, they are vulnerable and need someone to talk to. Everyone here understands that.
Every part of our team must work together because we’re dealing with so many parts that are interconnected. From food purchasing and donations to getting the food here, to the sorters who check for quality, to stalking our shelves. From there we have volunteers who shop for people and they need to be picky and not just throw things together you want the person receiving the food to enjoy it and to feed their family with pride.
This is where volunteers come in; without them this full range of operations would not happen at the level it does. They are so appreciated.
What else do you want people to know?
I feel like it’s my calling, to make people feel loved. Everyone has to eat, and we are here to help people from all walks of life. Our team knows how to meet people where they are without judgement, it’s been amazing to be a part of.
Our older customers have so many stories. They talk with me and want to share and be heard, their stories are so rich. I feel honored to be a part of it.
Help Us Grow the Food Bank Community in 2022!
We couldn’t serve the families of Northeast Seattle without the support of the University District Food Bank’s amazing volunteers and donors! We have so many incredible people donating money, volunteering their time to help at the Food Bank, organizing community drives and helping to plan events like our Fall auction and more.
Even with all of this help every year we have people who move away, donate to a different cause or just get busy and no longer have the time to spend with us. To keep our community strong we’re asking you to join us in 2022 and help us grow!
Here’s few easy ways to help:
- Sign up for our e-newsletters at udistrictfoodbank.org and share our next one with three friends, encouraging them to sign up as well and stay connected
- Text three people and ask them to join you in volunteering or donating any monetary amount they can this year
- Post on Instagram and Facebook about getting involved, donating or attending one of our upcoming events
All of this helps to spread the word and grow our reach in the community so we may continue to operate and help more families!
Volunteer Spotlight: Wendy Rogerson
Meet Wendy Rogerson – she is one of our rockstar home delivery drivers and has been volunteering with this program for 14 years!! Thank you for all of your hard work, Wendy!
We have more than 80 people on our home delivery waitlist… as soon as we have more volunteer delivery drivers we can expand this vital service. Visit our site to sign up here: www.udistrictfoodbank.org If you can’t volunteer your time, donating any amount is also an incredible way to support our home delivery service!
When did you start volunteering at the Food Bank?
I started volunteering at the Food Bank in 2010 and was one of their first delivery drivers. I answered an ad in my local neighborhood community newsletter looking for individuals to help jump start the inaugural Home Delivery Program.
The only requirement was a vehicle and the willingness to help vulnerable and homebound seniors. Fourteen years later, I am still delivering nutritious food every Wednesday to over 50 grateful seniors.
What are your typical volunteer responsibilities?
I have two volunteer roles at the Food Bank. I pack groceries for the many home delivery routes and I am also a Home Delivery Program driver. The Home Delivery Program is responsible for packing and delivering groceries to our neighbors who are disabled and/or homebound. Using a preference sheet (basically a grocery list), that is filled out by the customer, we hand pick items that match their choices as best we can. We pack fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, eggs canned goods, prepared meals, toiletries and pet food as needed.
As a Home Delivery driver, I am responsible for bringing the packed grocery bags to our customers’ doorsteps every Wednesday afternoon. The Food Bank currently delivers to 300 households on Wednesdays and another 200 households on Saturdays.
There are currently another 80 people on the waitlist. With 20 different driving routes, there is always a need for drivers. Please consider getting involved in this very important community program as a regular driver or as a substitute driver, which allows you to volunteer as your schedule allows
What is your favorite part about volunteering?
My favorite part of volunteering is definitely the weekly interactions with my home delivery customers. I deliver to a large senior housing complex in Lake City. I am greeted in the parking garage by Jerry (an 89 year old resident and Food Bank customer) who helps me load the grocery bags on carts and then helps me deliver more than 50 grocery bags to the other residents. This community is special and I feel privileged to deliver food to them every week.
They have created a “food pantry” of their own in the community room where they trade items among themselves so nothing goes to waste. They all gather for a cookie or a slice of cake (that I bring from the Food Bank) on Wednesday afternoons and they socialize and exchange the food they received that day.
Why should others volunteer at the Food Bank?
Everyone always says you get more that you give when you volunteer your time. It is so true. Volunteering is fulfilling, it provides a sense of purpose, it connects you to your community, it enables you to meet new people and to learn new skills. The Food Bank is filled with caring, fun, energetic volunteers and staff. Come join us and experience it for yourself!
What else do you want people to know about our Food Bank community?
I want people to know that there are many different volunteer opportunities at the Food Bank. Beyond home delivery shopping and home delivery drivers, there are other opportunities to work directly with food bank customers inside the food pantry, or helping to unpack and sort through the donated food, and even stocking shelves to keep the pantry full.
Another important job is the grocery rescue operation. The Food Bank depends on donations for the majority of its food. The many generous local grocery stores donate amazing food that needs to be picked up on a daily basis. The Food Bank has dedicated vans to do a lot of the gathering. There are opportunities to ride along with Food Bank staff and help them do the heavy lifting, but there is also a need for volunteers to pick up donated groceries using their own vehicles.
I urge people to explore all of the different volunteer roles; there is something for everyone. Feeding our neighbors, our families, and our children is a big commitment and takes a village. Whether you have an hour or four hours to spare every week, please consider exploring the many volunteer roles that are offered and get involved. Donating your time and talent to making sure our NE Seattle community has access to nutritious food is worth it!
Apple A Day Cafe Now Open!
We’re thrilled to announce that the University District Food Bank has taken over the space adjacent to us and turned it into the Apple A Day Café! This café is now open and will better serve our shoppers with free meals and beverages.
Meet Arra Ebersten our café manager who is leading us in this exciting new venture! Read on to learn more about the Café and her vision for how it will further support the community and extend our mission.
What is your vision for the Café?
I want to offer free, satisfying, and nutritious meals for everyone that visits the Food Bank. My goal is to meet the needs of any dietary restrictions or food preferences and provide some culturally familiar dishes. I also want to reduce food waste by utilizing some underappreciated products.
We’re thrilled to announce that the University District Food Bank has taken over the space adjacent to us and turned it into the Apple A Day Café! This café is now open and will better serve our shoppers with free meals and beverages.
Meet Arra Ebersten our café manager who is leading us in this exciting new venture! Read on to learn more about the Café and her vision for how it will further support the community and extend our mission.
What is your vision for the Café?
I want to offer free, satisfying, and nutritious meals for everyone that visits the Food Bank. My goal is to meet the needs of any dietary restrictions or food preferences and provide some culturally familiar dishes. I also want to reduce food waste by utilizing some underappreciated products.
What will the Café offer the community?
We try our best to identify and meet the needs of our customers. There is a self-serve coffee station that we set out every morning before we open, and it’s wildly popular. In addition to coffee and tea, people can enjoy fresh fruit, instant oatmeal, and other snacks. And this has allowed us to finally be able to expand to a full meal program offering hot meals and freshly made salads.
Why is this Café going to be so impactful right now?
People are hungry when they come in. Shopping at the food bank is a time commitment. Between making their way here and waiting in what can be a very long line they get or arrive hungry. Taking home a bag of groceries to cook for your family is great, but it doesn’t help you in the moment. I also find that our shoppers who can cook also want to enjoy the prepared foods that are reserved for our unhoused friends. With this cafe, everyone will be treated to food that they can enjoy immediately.
What will the Café hours be?
I would like to be open the same hours as the Food Bank, but we still have a few challenges to work around. Stay tuned!
Any other details our community shout know?
A big shout out to everyone who helped launch this program. It would not have happened without the support of the whole Food Bank community!We try our best to identify and meet the needs of our customers. There is a self-serve coffee station that we set out every morning before we open, and it’s wildly popular. In addition to coffee and tea, people can enjoy fresh fruit, instant oatmeal, and other snacks. And this has allowed us to finally be able to expand to a full meal program offering hot meals and freshly made salads.
Why is this Café going to be so impactful right now?
People are hungry when they come in. Shopping at the food bank is a time commitment. Between making their way here and waiting in what can be a very long line they get or arrive hungry. Taking home a bag of groceries to cook for your family is great, but it doesn’t help you in the moment. I also find that our shoppers who can cook also want to enjoy the prepared foods that are reserved for our unhoused friends. With this cafe, everyone will be treated to food that they can enjoy immediately.
What will the Café hours be?
I would like to be open the same hours as the Food Bank, but we still have a few challenges to work around. Stay tuned!
Any other details our community shout know?
A big shout out to everyone who helped launch this program. It would not have happened without the support of the whole Food Bank community!
Volunteer Spotlight: Wendy Rogerson
Meet Wendy Rogerson – she is one of our rockstar home delivery drivers and has been volunteering with this program for 14 years!! Thank you for all of your hard work, Wendy!
We have more than 80 people on our home delivery waitlist… as soon as we have more volunteer delivery drivers we can expand this vital service. Visit our site to sign up here: www.udistrictfoodbank.org If you can’t volunteer your time, donating any amount is also an incredible way to support our home delivery service!
When did you start volunteering at the Food Bank?
I started volunteering at the Food Bank in 2010 and was one of their first delivery drivers. I answered an ad in my local neighborhood community newsletter looking for individuals to help jump start the inaugural Home Delivery Program.
The only requirement was a vehicle and the willingness to help vulnerable and homebound seniors. Fourteen years later, I am still delivering nutritious food every Wednesday to over 50 grateful seniors.
What are your typical volunteer responsibilities?
I have two volunteer roles at the Food Bank. I pack groceries for the many home delivery routes and I am also a Home Delivery Program driver. The Home Delivery Program is responsible for packing and delivering groceries to our neighbors who are disabled and/or homebound. Using a preference sheet (basically a grocery list), that is filled out by the customer, we hand pick items that match their choices as best we can. We pack fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, eggs canned goods, prepared meals, toiletries and pet food as needed.
As a Home Delivery driver, I am responsible for bringing the packed grocery bags to our customers’ doorsteps every Wednesday afternoon. The Food Bank currently delivers to 300 households on Wednesdays and another 200 households on Saturdays.
There are currently another 80 people on the waitlist. With 20 different driving routes, there is always a need for drivers. Please consider getting involved in this very important community program as a regular driver or as a substitute driver, which allows you to volunteer as your schedule allows
What is your favorite part about volunteering?
My favorite part of volunteering is definitely the weekly interactions with my home delivery customers. I deliver to a large senior housing complex in Lake City. I am greeted in the parking garage by Jerry (an 89 year old resident and Food Bank customer) who helps me load the grocery bags on carts and then helps me deliver more than 50 grocery bags to the other residents. This community is special and I feel privileged to deliver food to them every week.
They have created a “food pantry” of their own in the community room where they trade items among themselves so nothing goes to waste. They all gather for a cookie or a slice of cake (that I bring from the Food Bank) on Wednesday afternoons and they socialize and exchange the food they received that day.
Why should others volunteer at the Food Bank?
Everyone always says you get more that you give when you volunteer your time. It is so true. Volunteering is fulfilling, it provides a sense of purpose, it connects you to your community, it enables you to meet new people and to learn new skills. The Food Bank is filled with caring, fun, energetic volunteers and staff. Come join us and experience it for yourself!
What else do you want people to know about our Food Bank community?
I want people to know that there are many different volunteer opportunities at the Food Bank. Beyond home delivery shopping and home delivery drivers, there are other opportunities to work directly with food bank customers inside the food pantry, or helping to unpack and sort through the donated food, and even stocking shelves to keep the pantry full.
Another important job is the grocery rescue operation. The Food Bank depends on donations for the majority of its food. The many generous local grocery stores donate amazing food that needs to be picked up on a daily basis. The Food Bank has dedicated vans to do a lot of the gathering. There are opportunities to ride along with Food Bank staff and help them do the heavy lifting, but there is also a need for volunteers to pick up donated groceries using their own vehicles.
I urge people to explore all of the different volunteer roles; there is something for everyone. Feeding our neighbors, our families, and our children is a big commitment and takes a village. Whether you have an hour or four hours to spare every week, please consider exploring the many volunteer roles that are offered and get involved. Donating your time and talent to making sure our NE Seattle community has access to nutritious food is worth it!
Volunteer Spotlight: Jorge + Stephen
Volunteers Jorge and Stephen met while volunteering at the Food Bank on Saturdays. You can count on these friends to be there each weekend helping to sort and pack food, load delivery vehicles, or tend to any tasks that are needed, and have some fun and laughs along the way.
Thank you both for your dedication to this community!!
Meet Jorge Montesinos
When did you start volunteering at the Food Bank?
July 2022.
What are your typical volunteer responsibilities?
Helping with home deliveries is the main task I help with. The Food Bank has a list of people who receive a box filled with food each week. Every Saturday, I help the drivers who pick them up, making sure each box being picked up matches the list while assisting drivers to load and with directions.
What is your favorite part about volunteering?
Volunteers and staff have a great sense of camaraderie; times go by very quickly when you work with friendly and kind-hearted folks! Another aspect I enjoy very much involves translating for some of the drivers who show up to pick up weekly boxes. It is very rewarding to help some members of the immigrant community feel welcome as I can translate and even share a few laughs in Spanish.
Why should others volunteer at the Food Bank?
The Food Bank’s mission is essential for the community as it steadily tackles such a pressing matter as food insecurity in Seattle. Everyone can help! There are many ways to do so, from greeting customers, organizing deliveries, cleaning, etc. Plus, you get to know and share your time with a truly wonderful and fun group of people!
What else do you want people to know about our Food Bank community?
There is room for everyone at the Food Bank. You can find teens working with their parents, corporate executives, church groups, and retired people. Each one has an interesting story behind to tell about why they are helping the Food Bank. In a way, each story offers a unique angle to a problem such as food insecurity in Seattle and the United States. In this sense, volunteering at the Food Bank feels good and it is a non-conventional educational experience.
Meet Stephen Rodas
When did you start volunteering at the Food Bank?
October 2022
What are your typical volunteer responsibilities?
On Saturdays: making sure that the correct boxes are loaded for the drivers as quickly and efficiently as possible. Those noon and 1 o’clock rushes can be quite hectic. Any shift I work during the week I just float to what’s needed (greet, stock, sort, etc.).
What is your favorite part about volunteering?
Bothering the fellow volunteers and wonderful employees at the food bank!
Why should others volunteer at the Food Bank?
The volunteers and workers at the food bank are all such awesome people, it’s incredibly fun and rewarding to help others in even the smallest capacity, and there’s free coffee.
What else do you want people to know about our Food Bank community?
There’s also free snacks for volunteers 🙂
Volunteer Spotlight: Holly Johnson
Meet our volunteer accountant Holly Johnson! Holly uses her accounting skills to fulfill an important role in our organization and is a huge asset to us. Read on to learn how she got involved and how she keeps us on track financially.
Did you know we can use all kinds of skills in our volunteers? If you’re interested in sharing yours with us, contact us today!
What is your hometown?
Helena, Montana
What is your volunteer position?
Accountant
How long have you been volunteering at the Food Bank?
15 years
How did you end up in your current role?
Our church, Faith Lutheran in Wedgwood, has supported UDFB since the beginning, so I’ve always been aware of the organization. In 2008 I had a big birthday party and asked for donations to the food bank instead of gifts. People donated $4,000 and an SUV full of food! When we dropped it off, I asked about volunteering with our sons. We went together that summer. When they went back to school in the fall, I kept going to the Food Bank. I worked in the back room for the first 5 years. In 2013 I watched Joe working on a deposit one day and asked about their accounting function. It turned out that Joe was the both the Executive Director and the accountant! I offered to switch my role to accounting, which was a better use of my skills.
What are your main responsibilities?
I handle everything accounting and finance related. I devote one day a week to making and recording deposits, managing cash balances, managing staff credit cards, paying vendors, tracking contracts, paying the staff, working with investment advisors, preparing monthly financial statements for the finance committee and board of directors, and attending finance committee meetings. I am currently managing the annual financial audit in which an outside accounting firm audits the books, which is required by the City of Seattle contracts. My goal is to handle all the financial administration so the staff can concentrate on serving the clients.
What is or was your profession?
I am a retired CPA. I was fortunate to be able to leave the workforce after our sons were born, and gradually started volunteering, often in board treasurer roles at nonprofits.
What drives you to volunteer at the Food Bank?
People gotta eat. It’s as simple as that. I believe that access to healthy food is a right of all people no matter their circumstances. Many years ago, I was tidying the shopping area at the old food bank in the basement of the University Christian Church and came across this To Do List, left by a very organized client:
It struck me that most of us don’t have to add 3. Eat to our daily lists. We take it for granted because we have money to purchase food, and a home with a kitchen to store and prepare food. But many of our neighbors do not have these basic necessities. Although my role is indirect, it frees up staff time and financial resources for serving our neighbors.
Why should others volunteer?
Volunteering at the Food Bank is a great opportunity to meet people from lots of different backgrounds who also care about our neighbors. It’s also an opportunity to meet and help neighbors who suffer from food insecurity. It’s an opportunity to feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of a shift for the hard work put in. Volunteering is like a high-five to humanity.
