Conversations on the Dock: Devon Ellis, Carefood Pantry
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Devon Ellis, Carefood Pantry
CARE FOOD PANTRY has served the Tacoma community for more than 18 years, providing food to families and individuals experiencing hunger. As demand continues to rise, the pantry works to meet the needs of a diverse community while connecting people with additional resources whenever possible. We had an opportunity to talk with Devon Ellis to tell us more.
Where is your agency located?
“We are located in the Tacoma area, and we serve a very diverse community. We’ve been around for maybe over 18 years. We have seen an increase in demand for food and different services—some which we don’t offer—but we can always recommend people someplace else. We’ve seen maybe about a 23% increase in visits to the food bank.”
How has your agency been impacted by the schools being closed this summer?
“School is out. Children are out. So we try to get things like peanut butter, jelly—stuff like that for kids at home. We don’t offer meal programs, just food for families and people experiencing homelessness, so we try to make sure families have something they can take home.”
What has been a challenge lately?
“With the increase in visits, sometimes we don’t get enough food. We have to be looking at other places. Sometimes we have to go out and purchase the items ourselves.”
What’s the one thing that you love about your agency?
“I like serving people, and that’s part of my DNA from maybe I was born. That’s a very good thing. You get to meet people, hear their stories. I love seeing the fact that people come unhappy—they leave happy.”
For Devon, every visit is about more than groceries. It’s about listening, helping where he can, and making sure each person leaves with a little more hope than when they arrived.