Strengthening Community Through Partnership at Nooksack Valley Food Bank
Food Lifeline partnered with the Nooksack Valley Food Bank this spring to support their Sumas and Everson communities in the wake of December’s severe flooding. Together, we helped distribute essential supplies, including frozen chicken products, beef, clean-up buckets, hygiene kits, and water to households still recovering from the impacts of the flooding.
These items were chosen to meet the most immediate and practical needs families shared with the food bank as they continue recovery and renewal. Clean-up buckets and hygiene kits help support safe living conditions, while the frozen chicken provided an important source of protein for families working to restock their homes and kitchens.
In total, we served approximately 110 families during the first distribution on 3/12. Many of the families expressed deep appreciation for the supplies, as the flooding has had a lasting impact on the community, and recovery continues to be an ongoing process.
Nooksack Valley Food Bank is one of those places where you can truly feel the care they have for their community. Their work goes beyond food distribution, and they are deeply connected to the people they serve. Whether it’s supporting farmworker families or engaging with the broader community, their approach is thoughtful and intentional. They know their neighbors, and they show up for them in meaningful ways.
Like many food banks, they operate within real limitations. Resources don’t always match the need, and there’s a constant balancing act. But what stands out is their commitment; they continue to show up, adapt, and do the work.
Over time, Eva MarroquÍn, our North Region Power Hub Coordinator, has built a strong and genuine relationship with their team, one rooted in trust, consistency, and open communication. This isn’t a new connection, and that history shows. Our comfort working together allows collaboration to feel natural and impactful, something that’s especially important during a natural disaster like the flooding.
We returned to Nooksack Valley Food Bank on Thursday, April 2, when we carried out a long-planned beef distribution.
Seeing the community’s response reminded us why our work matters. Families were genuinely happy and often surprised to receive beef that was donated by the Washington Beef Commission. That first day alone, the food bank served approximately 112 families. Even more impactful was how far the meat stretched. Instead of being limited to a single distribution, the donation of beef supported four distributions across two days, April 2 and April 9, both morning and afternoon, highlighting how valuable this partnership was to Whatcom County communities.
Nooksack Valley Food Bank let their community know that this effort was made possible through collaboration between the Whatcom County Cattlemen’s Association, Beef Counts, and Food Lifeline, acknowledging the power of working together to ensure our neighbors have access to nourishing foods.
This highly successful distribution provided high-quality protein to families and strengthened relationships within the community and across partner organizations. Experiences like this reinforce why partnerships rooted in trust and intention are so impactful.
We are grateful to work alongside partners like the Nooksack Valley Food Bank and to support resilient communities like Nooksack, Sumas, and Everson as they recover and move forward.
