Rainier Valley Food Bank Acquires New South Seattle Location

by Elizabeth Turnbull

After the pandemic greatly increased the demand for food and other services, Rainier Valley Food Bank announced today that it is purchasing a new building in South Seattle to expand its program and better meet existing needs.

“We haven’t had enough space to serve our customers for a long time,” said Gloria Hatcher-Mays, managing director of Rainier Valley Food Bank, the Emerald. “We knew that at some point we had to grow.”

To comply with social distancing guidelines, the grocery bank began distributing more groceries via home delivery last year, expanding the program from 200 to 1,000 home deliveries per week. Voluntary support also rose by 166 percent and the to-go grocery bags from 300 to around 600 per week.

While fewer people entered the blackboard due to the pandemic, the facility was only 1,200 square meters – an area much smaller than the new 8,000 square meter building.

Although the space is new to the grocery bank, the South Seattle community knows it as Bonney Waston’s Southwest Mortuary property. The Blackboard on Rainier Avenue South plans to use the new building to expand its program to include areas such as financial assistance, employee training, a business incubator, and other endeavors.

Rainier Valley Food Bank volunteers load donation bags for delivery. (Photo: Alex Garland)

To make it easier for customers to eat, the new facility will have a garden as well as a large kitchen. People looking to start their own food business can also take advantage of the facilities to cut early overheads.

“We really want it not to be a chalkboard, but we really want it to be a community center,” said Hatcher-Mays. “We look forward to announcing to the community that we will be embarking on this journey to make this our new home.”

While funding for the new build and renovation has been provided by the state and large corporate donors, the panel continues to seek help from volunteers.

“We are very excited about all of these things,” said Hatcher-Mays. “We know we are very busy and need a lot of help to get to this point, but this new building will give us that opportunity.”

For more information, please visit http://www.rvfb.org/ and follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

Elizabeth Turnbull is a journalist with experience reporting in the United States and the Middle East. She has a passion for dealing with human-centered issues and doing so consistently. Her work includes extensive documentation of the protests in Seattle following the assassination of George Floyd, as well as coverage from her time as a writer for the Jordan Times, covering resources and government arrangements for refugees.

Featured image: Rainier Valley Food Bank volunteers make donations. (Photo: Alex Garland)

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