Meet Our Members - The Community Cupboard

Located in the quaint town of Leavenworth, the Community Cupboard serves those that need it most; those that are marginalized by high living costs and low paying jobs. It stands as a source of hope, and a location to pull the entire community together.
The Community Cupboard hosts both a food bank to help those in need, and a thrift store to provide the means for this help. The two aspects are literally touching each other, so those that support the thrift store see exactly what their help is producing. The store and bank are impressive in the way that limited space is maximized while still being kept impeccably orderly.


Bob Mark is the Program Manager there, and he finds his work to be incredibly rewarding.

When asked "What do you love most about your work here?", Bob responded:

"The community. We have a very caring community here; people care about their neighbors and the people here in town. It's fun to be a part of that. You meet a diverse group of people here and I appreciate that as well. We meet a very critical need in the community. Without this food (especially bread), people go hungry. Some volunteers have been here 10+ years because they see this value."

When asked "What is the toughest part about your work?", Bob responded:

"I'm often pulled in so many different directions, a lot of times there’s not enough time in the day to do everything I want do. I wish we had more resources to enhance and expand new programs. Having more space would be great to be able to take in bigger donations. Basically, the toughest part of my job is not getting to do more of it."

To read more about the Community Cupboard as well as its parent organization, Upper Valley MEND, visit their website: UVMend.org.

Recipe for Success - The Eat Real Food Campaign

Founded by Meals Partnership Coalition

About the Campaign:

You are what you eat. Organic, local, sustainable foods are in the spotlight right now. Food guru and author Michael Pollan wrote in one of his bestselling books to “eat food”. The USDA is revamping school lunch requirements, now focusing on providing healthy choices instead of using our children as a way to dispose of our agricultural commodities.

Seattle City Council Member, Richard Conlin wrote the local food initiative which was adopted by the city council in April 2008. One goal is to “Improve public health by providing increased access to healthy, culturally appropriate, and locally and regionally grown foods, especially for low income households”. Our local public health agencies have banned trans-fats, require menu labeling, and are partnering with community groups to support healthy eating and active living. A tax on simple sugars, like sodas, may be next.

Meanwhile, the USDA recently announced new numbers for hunger in 2008, and nationally over 14% of the population is “food insecure”. This is the highest percentage of hungry people since 1995, when the agency first started measuring hunger, or lack of calorie supply to a person, in the general population.

Yes, there is a big difference between calories and nutrition. Calories keep one alive, but nutrition supports life. Food banks and meal programs receive food from grocers and distributors. Donated foods are often those with poor nutritional quality calories, donations of sodas and pastries and things that did not sell, have a long shelf life, and are now being ‘surplused’. These foods given to a population that is already compromised by their situation; broke, maybe homeless, perhaps with physical health, mental health or addiction issues.

Those who are economically challenged have a right to eat real, nutritious, even organic-when-available, food.

Somehow, that doesn’t seem radical or outrageous. We should care for those who have received less in this society; a senior citizen with diabetes should receive a fresh vegetable, a high quality protein, a kind word, a child should have a breakfast made up of more than empty carbohydrates and sugar, and a homeless person should have nutrition needs met so that they are able to think clearly and contribute to their own well being. The time has come for “real food” to not be a radical concept, but the bar to set that standard by.

WFC Introduces Our New Executive Director, Julie Washburn

Julie Washburn joins us with an enthusiasm to contribute to all of the fantastic efforts in food programs across Washington State.
She has devoted her career to helping those in need by inspiring them to be empowered and uplifted towards greater success. Julie has lived in Washington state for her entire life and now lives in the Green Lake area in Seattle with her husband Jacob and her dog Sydney.

Get to know Julie more by contacting her at JulieW@wafoodcoalition.org