Down past the Testy Chef on Maple Valley Highway, nestled up on top a hill is the Maple Valley Food Bank and Emergency Services.
This agency is more than just a food bank or a well oiled machine. It is a family which is offering help and hope to those in need in the Maple Valley community.
“A lot of people think we are just a food bank,” said Wes Giehm, warehouse/maintenance coordinator. “We also have emergency services.”
Not only does the food bank help with food and basic essentials, but they also offer a variety of other services such as financial aid to qualified households who are in need of help with utility disconnect notices, eviction notices, move in costs, prescription drugs, medical bills, bus passes, and other emergency needs.
In the summertime they offer a backpack program to help families send their kids to school with the supplies they need for the year. During the holiday season families receive Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and there is also a children’s Christmas gift store where parents can come in and pick out three to four gifts for their children.
What many people don’t know is that the food bank you see now is not what it used to be. The food bank used to be located down stairs in the basement.
“Before our clients were outside in the elements because there was no waiting room,” said Jan Seelye, the project coordinator. “It was also harder to implement more programs.”
With a little help from a King County block grant and grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Boeing Community Fund, Seattle Foundation, PACCAR Foundation, Medina Foundation, the city of Maple Valley, Maple Valley Rotary and Rotary District 5030, as well as numerous donations from local residents, the food bank moved into a new facility in 2005. The new food banks joined with the existing building and gained an additional 3,300 square feet.
“One of our goals when we moved was to make it more comfortable and efficient shopping experience,” Seelye said, “It also provided us with more storage and more working space for staff and volunteers.”
However, with the move came greater numbers and more families to help.
“When we moved upstairs, our numbers jumped dramatically,” Giehm said. “We never would have been able to do this downstairs, we have been blessed in this economy with the amount of people we can help.”
With more room, that means that there is more space for more food.
“We always need more proteins and personal care items,” Seelye said.
Proteins like peanut butter, rice and beans, and personal care items like diapers, toilet paper and shampoo.
“I can go buy food, but, I cannot go out and buy personal products,” Giehm said. “So we really rely on the public for these products.”
This agency is not just about food and giving back to the community, it is about helping those who need a little bit extra. The food bank also does home deliveries to those unable to come and get food themselves.
“We want to fulfill the needs of the community when the walk through the door,” Giehm said. With between 70 to 100 volunteers that come in weekly, this agency is full of more than just volunteers, helping hands, or community service leaders.
“Without volunteers, there would be no way to do what we do,” Seelye said. “Volunteers are the heart of the food bank.”
To find out more about the Maple Valley Food Bank and Emergency services and how to volunteer go to maplevalleyfoodbank.org.
Backpack donations are still being accepted until the end of the week. Drop off locations are at Maple Valley Food Bank and Emergency Services, the Library, City Perk, Curves, Community Center, Starbucks-Four Corners and Wilderness Village and Village Coffee.
