West Seattle Food Bank

Mission

West Seattle Food Bank strengthens the community through the power of neighbors helping neighbors, working to ensure all in our community have access to the essential necessities of living.

Description

The West Seattle Food Bank has been serving this community since 1983 when local volunteers started distributing food to families in need. For over 30 years, we worked side by side with our neighborhood partner, West Seattle Helpline, to help improve the lives of our neighbors in our community. In 2020, our organizations decided to merge in order to increase our capacity and impact in our community. Together, we provide access to food, clothing, emergency rent and utility assistance, bus tickets, connections to community resources, and other essential services for thousands of our neighbors in the West Seattle neighborhood.

We serve over 25,000 individuals each year by providing quality food through our shopping style distribution. In addition, our Mobile Food Banks and Home Delivery provides groceries to homebound seniors and individuals with disabilities. Our Helpline services provides up to $1 Million in emergency financial assistance to community members each year to prevent homelessness through rent and utility assistance. Our Backpack Program provides school children as risk of hunger with 6 kid-friendly meals for the weekend through 9,000 weekend backpacks per year. The Clothesline, our free clothing bank, provides basic attire, professional wear, hygiene products, and school clothing for our neighbors and their families. In 2024 we distributed more than 85,000 pieces of clothing. We also distribute 60,000 pounds of pet food through our Pet Pantry. We provide free bus tickets to ensure neighbors' transportation to school, work, the food bank, medical appointments, and more. Our Community Connector helps families access additional referrals to services from dozens of partner agencies.

Through the power of neighbors helping neighbors, we can end hunger and homelessness in our community.