Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank

Mission

The mission of the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank is to unite our community in nourishing and nurturing individuals by removing barriers to healthy food, vital resources, and connections to essential services.

Description

With a 54-year history, the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank is a crucial center of support for approximately 9,200 people in East King County. We serve anyone who comes to us seeking help — however, most of the people we serve are living in Issaquah, Renton Highlands, Newcastle, and Sammamish. Our free food and basic needs resources help people gain and maintain stable housing, employment, and overall health. In addition to a market and onsite emergency response resources, we also deliver food regularly to about 250 homes for those who are unable to travel to the food bank, as well as providing supplemental nutrition for students on the weekends and over school breaks when school lunches are not accessible.

The Need
As the cost of living vs. wage gap widens in our region, we continue to see more people in need of these resources more often. In 2024, we continually broke service records in our market and our Power Packs program for kids grew an amazing 41% in response to the need. Serving approximately 9,200 people across all services is a stretch. Funding cuts are impacting us at the same time that our neighbors are losing benefits that they rely on for stability, driving more need for our resources.

According to the King County Community Health Needs Assessment 2024/2025, “the food insecurity rate for the overall county remained similar to that of recent years, though disparities in food insecurity rates increased. Food insecurity is highest among Black adults (29.8%) and Hispanic adults (28.4%) and is nearly three times the county average. Cost is a barrier, which especially impacts large families, older adults and people who have recently moved to the U.S. Many residents report eating less than what they needed due to financial constraints. Food insecurity, or the lack of access to sufficient food for every household member, is an economic and social indicator of community health. Every family should have access to a convenient and affordable means of purchasing healthy food. 

“The food bank has been a true support for our family during difficult times. Thanks to this initiative, we not only received essential groceries but also felt the care and kindness of the community. The selection of food is well thought out—there’s always something nutritious and helpful for the whole family. The volunteers are incredibly kind and attentive, making the experience even more positive.  We are deeply grateful to the food bank and everyone who supports it. This is truly an important cause that helps so many people!” ❤️

- Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank recipient

Your support during GiveBIG will help us cover funding cuts to serve every individual and every family who comes to us seeking help to get their basic needs met. Thank you for being a vital part of their journey to stability!

 
Thank you for helping us reach our $60,000 goal to provide a 
free grocery shopping trip for 1,380 households
in need of these critical resources!

Thanks to a generous $30,000 match from three private donors, 
your gift of $100-$5,000 will be DOUBLED!