Struggling Tukwila food bank appeals for help
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TUKWILA - Spiraling food costs and gas prices are cutting into the supplies of a local emergency food bank just as the number of familes who need it has surged.
The Tukwila Pantry is serving twice as many families as it once did, yet its food reserves are dwindling because food costs and gas prices have gone up by 35 to 65 percent.
So it is reaching out to the community for help. A fund-raising breakfast is planned later this month, and potential donors can visit their web site at www.tukwilapantry.org.
One of those who depend on the food bank is Maysoon Altakwreti, who left Iraq four years ago to escape war and poverty. Now, with four daughters and no current job, she struggles to put food on the table.
She says she is very thankful for the Tukwila Pantry, which is "here" for her.
"I have food stamps, and my cash from welfare goes to rent ... because, here the rent for an apartment is very expensive," she says.
Brenda Olguin, who uses the food bank and also volunteers there, said about 50 families were using the Tukwila Pantry when she first started coming.
"Now, we're seeing anywhere from 80 to 120 families," she said. "There's a lot of very hungry people out there that are struggling, and they need these food banks."
The surrounding area has one of the highest poverty levels in King County. At Cascade View Elementary School, just two blocks from the Tukwila Pantry, over 80 percent of the students qualify for free and reduced lunch programs.
The Tukwila Pantry secures and distributes nutritious food to clients. Volunteers from the Tukwila Pantry pick up food daily from Albertsons, Costco, Sam’s Club and Gai’s Bakery. Twice weekly the Pantry truck picks up food from Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline.
But even with these donations, the food bank has certain operating costs. Transportation of food, utilities, and the salary of one paid employee are the major expenses.
Director Joseph Dice says, "Our food costs have gone up anywhere from 35 to 65 percent on some items - that's really hitting us hard ... along with our fuel costs. We have to operate our own trucks. So we're about $30,000 behind for the year, in our operational costs."
Organizers are counting on a fundraising breakfast on June 20 to raise enough money in donations, to stay in business and to "be there" for clients like Maysoon Altakwreti.
"I want to make happy here ... for my family," she says.
The Tukwila Pantry is serving twice as many families as it once did, yet its food reserves are dwindling because food costs and gas prices have gone up by 35 to 65 percent.
So it is reaching out to the community for help. A fund-raising breakfast is planned later this month, and potential donors can visit their web site at www.tukwilapantry.org.
One of those who depend on the food bank is Maysoon Altakwreti, who left Iraq four years ago to escape war and poverty. Now, with four daughters and no current job, she struggles to put food on the table.
She says she is very thankful for the Tukwila Pantry, which is "here" for her.
"I have food stamps, and my cash from welfare goes to rent ... because, here the rent for an apartment is very expensive," she says.
Brenda Olguin, who uses the food bank and also volunteers there, said about 50 families were using the Tukwila Pantry when she first started coming.
"Now, we're seeing anywhere from 80 to 120 families," she said. "There's a lot of very hungry people out there that are struggling, and they need these food banks."
The surrounding area has one of the highest poverty levels in King County. At Cascade View Elementary School, just two blocks from the Tukwila Pantry, over 80 percent of the students qualify for free and reduced lunch programs.
The Tukwila Pantry secures and distributes nutritious food to clients. Volunteers from the Tukwila Pantry pick up food daily from Albertsons, Costco, Sam’s Club and Gai’s Bakery. Twice weekly the Pantry truck picks up food from Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline.
But even with these donations, the food bank has certain operating costs. Transportation of food, utilities, and the salary of one paid employee are the major expenses.
Director Joseph Dice says, "Our food costs have gone up anywhere from 35 to 65 percent on some items - that's really hitting us hard ... along with our fuel costs. We have to operate our own trucks. So we're about $30,000 behind for the year, in our operational costs."
Organizers are counting on a fundraising breakfast on June 20 to raise enough money in donations, to stay in business and to "be there" for clients like Maysoon Altakwreti.
"I want to make happy here ... for my family," she says.
