Feinstein Challenge: 3/1/09 – 4/30/09
Help maximize our share of a $1 million donation!
The Feinstein Foundation will award $1 million to hunger fighting agencies this year. RVFB's share depends on how much money and food we raise in March and April. The more you give, the more we get, the more people we can serve.
To help: donate today or send a check to RVFB. Be sure to write Feinstein Challenge in the memo line.
The Rainier Valley Food Bank (RVFB) provides food assistance to low-income residents in southeast Seattle, with a focus on seniors, families, individuals with disabilities and the homeless. No one is turned away who meets the food bank’s broad criteria for assistance. We have a commitment to honor our clients by offering healthy, nutritious food.
Our food bank is wheelchair accessible, and sets aside a service day for the elderly and disabled. The food bank also assists families with babies by offering baby food, formula and diapers. RVFB is open on Saturdays to serve working families and is located on three major bus lines serving the southeast Seattle area: the 7, the 9 and the 39.
Here are several reasons Rainier Valley Food Bank needs your support:
The demand is increasing dramatically
- We are a small facility with a big responsibility. In our tiny building - thanks to the donations of time, food and money from community members - we provide groceries for as many as 8,000 people a month.
- Over the summer, another food bank in southeast Seattle closed its doors – resulting in greater need in our community and higher demand on limited resources.
- The declining economy and rising grocery and fuel costs have increased the need in our community. The fist six months of 2008, we distributed an average of 10,500 lbs of food a day. By the second half of the year, that number jumped to over 14,000 lbs a day, with three months topping out at 16,000 lbs a day. We expect this demand to continue to rise through 2009.
- With only a few employees, our food bank could not operate without a cadre of committed, long-term community volunteers who contribute over 800 hours of service every month.
- A re-invigorated board representing top corporations and the Columbia City community are leading RVFB with a focus on fundraising, community awareness and management of the organization to better serve our clients and meet the increasing demand.
- Private donations from community members accounted for half of our funding for 2008. In a struggling economy, RVFB needs the support of the community more than ever. Take a moment to help your neighbors and our food bank today.