By Tricia Schug, Multi-Service Center
On Saturday, May 9, Federal Way residents can be part of the largest food drive in the nation, while also helping the Multi-Service Center’s Federal Way Food Bank keep the shelves stocked through summer.
That day, residents are asked to fill the plastic bags they find in their mailboxes with nonperishable food items. Place the filled bag inside or on the ground next to your mailbox, and a letter carrier will deliver your donation to the food bank.
This food drive is traditionally the largest single donation the food bank receives all year, and the food received is critical to a smooth-functioning food bank.
“Our warehouse supply from holiday donations is dwindling now, and we need this food drive to give us a boost that can take us through the summer,” said Terri Turner, manager of the food bank.
The food bank currently serves more than 200 people a day — numbers that have increased nearly 40-percent over the past year.
“We have a growing number of folks who have never needed to use the food bank coming to us now — people who have lost their jobs or who are struggling to stay afloat in this current economy,” Turner added. “We don’t know what the months ahead will bring, but we want to be prepared to meet the needs of those who look to us for help.”
Last year’s letter carrier food drive collected 32,446 pounds of food from the two post offices in Federal Way. All food collected in Federal Way stays in Federal Way.
In addition, volunteers are needed between 2 and 5 p.m. that day to help unload and sort the food as it is delivered to the food bank. To help with this project, contact Terri Turner at (253) 838-6810, ext. 109.
The Federal Way Food Bank is a program of Multi-Service Center, a Federal Way-based nonprofit organization that equips people with tools they need to get out of poverty. Multi-Service Center serves people living in 19 cities of South King County. Nearly 46,000 people found help through the agency last year with comprehensive services in education, employment, housing, food and clothing, energy assistance and more. To learn more about the agency, visit www.multi-servicecenter.com.
