Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank

Mission

The mission of the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank is to unite our community in nourishing and nurturing individuals by removing barriers to healthy food, vital resources, and connections to essential services.

Description

With a 53-year history, the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank is a crucial center of support for approximately 7,500 people in East King County. We serve anyone who comes to us seeking help — however, most of the people we serve are living in Issaquah, Renton Highlands, Newcastle, and Sammamish. Our free food and basic needs resources help people gain and maintain stable housing, employment, and overall health. In addition to a market and onsite emergency response resources, we also deliver food regularly to about 250 homes for those who are unable to travel to the food bank, as well as providing supplemental nutrition for students on the weekends and over school breaks.

The Need
According to the Washington State Food Security Survey (WAFOOD4) conducted from December 2022 to January 2023, food insecurity remains high with 46% of the surveyed households in King County experiencing low to very low food security in the past month. Groceries were reported as the most challenging bill to afford.

On March 1, 2023, SNAP benefits (food stamps) were reduced drastically, which had a significant impact on those living on limited and fixed incomes. This came at a time of high inflation, with many families still struggling from the long-term effects of the pandemic. From 2022 to 2023, the number of households accessing free resources from our market or emergency food services increased a whopping 83%! This year, we've already hit an all-time high record of 785 families served in our market in four days (24 open hours).

In response to this, our 2023 food costs increased 55% over 2022, and we've increased our budget further in 2024 to respond to the continued growth and to ensure continued access to high-nutrient foods like fresh produce, dairy, and protein items that are most difficult for our food bank community members to afford.  This equates to approximately $10,000 every week in food purchases! Because we know that food insecurity has serious implications on one's physical, psychological, and behavioral health, we prioritize nutritious food. Our shoppers are deeply grateful to have a healthy selection of food to feed their families:

"My limited income for food lasts approximately 2 weeks out of the month. 
Without assistance from the food bank, I would be without food for the remainder of the month."

"I was able to get through harder times because of IFCB, when my husband lost his job and we were trying to make it work on one income."

"Life changing. I have significantly less anxiety and can be more emotionally available to my family."

Your support during GiveBIG will help us serve every individual and every family who comes to us seeking help to get their basic needs met. Thank you for being a part of our story!

 
Thank you for helping us reach our $50,000 goal 
to provide a free grocery shopping trip for 1,325 households!

Thanks to a generous $20,000 match from two private donors, 
your gift of $150 or more* will be DOUBLED! 

* To help spread the joy for this matching opportunity, gifts up to $5,000 will be doubled.