A Cool Solution: A New Freezer Expands What’s Possible at Edmonds Food Bank
Everyone who works or volunteers at Edmonds Food Bank follows a familiar rhythm. First, every food delivery is inspected and categorized. Items that can be frozen are loaded into the freezer to maintain quality and preserve nutrition. But, to store them in their designated freezer space, other boxes and totes must be moved first to make room. Piles are stacked and restacked, maximizing every square inch of the impossibly narrow space. With a laugh, Executive Director Casey Davis likens it “to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.” The tightest possible packing means more food is available for more neighbors when they need it. And yet, bending, lifting, and moving so much product in a tiny, freezing space complicates the job and makes it harder to keep employees and volunteers safe.
Elizabeth Oleson, Food Lifeline Retail and Foodservice Partnerships Manager, recognized the need for a bigger freezer and encouraged Edmonds Food Bank to apply for a Feeding America Retail Agency Capacity Grant. With $80,000 of pass-through funding, the food bank purchased a new freezer that doubles storage space. Elizabeth shared, “We are so excited to be able to work with Feeding America and with you all [The Edmonds Food Bank] to make this happen. Thank you so much for your hard work, day in and day out.”
Casey and the Food Bank are thrilled with the new freezer.
“It’s doubled our capacity. For safety purposes, it’s really good to have a bigger freezer. We have more space to walk around and stack and store our stuff. And secondly, we can give awesome support to our community partners, like Homage Senior Services. They can use this as a service center and store some of their frozen items here, which is a cultural identity gift to their customers when they host the distribution here at the food bank with us.”
-Edmonds Food Bank Executive Director Casey Davis
To celebrate, the Edmonds Food Bank team invited community partners and supporters to cut the ribbon and open this new space. Board members, staff, volunteers, community businesses, and local nonprofits all contributed to the prep and build-out currently tucked into the Edmonds United Methodist Church campus. Local businesses engineered the installation of the new freezer so that it can be moved if needed to a future new location, helping Edmonds Food Bank ensure they can retain this valuable asset.
As Casey Davis led a tour through the food bank, she described how Edmonds Food Bank quickly responds to current conditions and neighbor needs, working in partnership with the community. Two linked and foundational principles of service stood out –safety and trust.
The entire Edmonds Food Bank team, including over 400 unique volunteers per month, are committed to food safety. Casey explained that “One of the things that’s also unique about our food bank is, all our volunteers have food handlers’ cards now. The staff always has to have those.”
Once volunteers have their food handlers’ cards and work experience at the food bank, they bring marketable skills to employers hiring for food service jobs. For students looking for their first jobs, volunteer experience at Edmonds Food Bank becomes a valuable addition to their resume.
Because Edmonds Food Bank is known for rigorous safety protocols, food manufacturers like SeaShare Seafood can call this team with a 30,000-pound donation of salmon steaks and know that this special fish will be distributed to neighbors quickly and safely.
This dedication to excellent operations and service builds trust across food systems. Edmonds Food Bank’s dedication to community shines through their connection and support for each individual. The team builds trust with neighbors by meeting them where they are with customized food packages, personalized service, delivered reliably with empathy and care.
As a result, Edmonds is a trusted community partner. And now they serve their neighbors with more freezer space and expanded capacity.
