Meet Our Members: Yakima Food Bank

By Stephanie Marin, Advocacy Assistant

Yakima Food Banks Client Card

Volunteers keep organized with
this handy chart for food placement

Located on Central Ave, Yakima Food Bank is one of several food banks serving the Yakima area.  The completely volunteer run food bank serves more than 400 families in the three hours every week.  To receive food, clients fill out a simple client card with information about ages and number of people in their household.  Clients can then shop the food line with volunteers who help monitor and choose food products.
 Right outside the building’s exit, the “produce patio” holds a variety of fruit and vegetable choices for clients to supplement food received inside.

Watermelon from Northwest Harvest

The food bank also utilizes every nook and cranny for food storage with donations from a variety of sources including two of Washington’s largest distributors Northwest Harvest (conveniently right down the street) and 2nd Harvest.
They have created community partnerships to make sure fresh foods are continually available as well.   Ray’s IGA supermarket provides the food bank with five to six boxes per day of produce while the Union Gospel Mission collects bread from local grocery stores and offers it to Yakima Food Bank and St. Vincent de Paul food bank.  To make sure nothing goes to waste, the food bank provides a local animal farmer spoiled produce on a weekly basis.

The Produce Patio

Fridge Storage for Produce and Perishables

Freezer Storage

Super Volunteer Earl Hall outside the Food Bank

To learn more about Yakima Food Bank, Please Visit: https://www.facebook.com/YakimaFoodBank