2024 Annual Report
a message from our leadership
“This year was full of big changes. After ten years of planning, we broke ground on our new facility! We had two goals: maintain service and build a respectful place. We set up Mobile Markets with Paradise Baptist Church and Seattle Public Library to offer grocery shopping two days per week. We also launched a new program, Tri-River Market, in partnership with Jewish Family Service, standing up an online grocery ordering system that bridges the gap for those with different dietary needs, and expanded our home delivery program to support guests who were unable to come for our shopping days.
We had a profound impact on our community in 2024, including:
1.1 million pounds of food distributed
91,000 visits to our food bank
16,700 people received support through our food bank
Raising the $14 million needed for construction was one of the key accomplishments this year. Our capital campaign continues in 2025 to raise the additional funds needed to expand our programming and support the maintenance of our new facility. We have much to look forward to and welcome your continued support.”
- Gloria Hatcher-Mays, Executive Director & Margaret Gofman, Board President
hunger in our community
Our community is made up of more than:
22 staff
750 volunteers
16,700 guests
2,500 donors
25% of residents in our service area live below the poverty line, compared to the city’s overall poverty rate of 10%.
More than 60 different languages are spoken in our community.
Nearly 80% of children in our service area qualify for free or reduced-price lunches compared to the city’s average of 35% district wide.
Estimated 70% of program participants are first-generation immigrants from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa.
Our Programs
grocery mobile markets
We transformed what grocery shopping looked like, standing up mobile markets in partnership with the Rainier Beach Branch of Seattle Public Library and Paradise Baptist Church to provide opportunities to shop while our facility was closed for construction.
500
families visited our food bank to shop each week.
5,000
households received food support through our grocery shopping.
24,000
visits were made to shop at our food bank.
During the growing season, we source some of our produce from local farm partners, including: Terrebonne Truck Patch Farm, Kirsop Farm, Hayden Berry Farm, and Present Tense Farm.
Home Delivery
We expanded our eligibility criteria to bridge the gap for folks who were not able to join us for grocery shopping due to scheduling challenges, scaling to become one of the largest home delivery programs in the city.
750
weekly home deliveries.
950
families served through our home delivery program.
31,000
deliveries made throughout 2024.
“Our home delivery program is a labor of community care primarily serving people who are homebound, or experiencing other extraneous circumstances, with households ranging from one to twelve people.”
- Chloe Finkenbine, Food Delivery Program Coordinator
Expanding our home delivery program resulted in more than a 40% increase in weekly deliveries.
tri-river market
Our online grocery ordering service is truly a feat of collaboration. Designed and operated in partnership with Jewish Family Service, with groceries delivered through DoorDash in partnership with United Way. As a pilot program, this service was intentionally smaller, to curate a higher-touch environment with more room for feedback.
28
weekly home deliveries.
45
families served through Tri-River Market.
390
deliveries made throughout 2024.
“Tri-River Market puts more determination into our guests' hands. It’s been really cool because very few people using Tri-River Market had accessed food bank services before, and more and more are asking about our services and starting to enter the social service world.”
- Chloe Finkenbine, Food Delivery Program Coordinator
100% of respondents surveyed said that Tri-River Market improved their food security.
community connector
Every month, our outreach coordinators provide hygiene kits, resources, rental assistance, job application support, and more. In getting to know our guests, we connect them to our service partners who provide wrap-around support, including IDs healthcare, mobile phones, transportation, housing referrals, job training, and more.
800
guests were connected to services.
370
people enrolled in services.
25
service partners supported our guests.
“Being out here, in the food village, has made us super approachable. When we’re out here bearing the cold with them while they’re getting food, it’s a way we’re really meeting them where they’re at, and that takes on a whole new meaning.”
- Viridiana Ortiz, Outreach Coordinator
In 2024, we saw a nearly 6% increase in guests enrolled to receive services through our partner organizations.
Helpline
2024 represented our first full year putting our Helpline to use. As the only source of financial aid in Southeast Seattle, this service provides one-time assistance to our neighbors with rent, utilities, or move-in costs. The need has far outpaced the resources we currently have available. We continue to pursue new funding avenues to support the need we’re seeing for this type of support, in addition to providing referrals to other sources of aid.
185
applications received.
57
applications funded.
$236,195
funds requested.
$19,500
funding distributed.
“We can pair our Helpline with an ORCA card, or a Wellsprings referral for clothes and hygiene for their kids, to help provide a little bit of relief for the families. It helps bridge the gap.”
- Viridiana Ortiz, Outreach Coordinator
Neighbors applying for funds from our Helpline report still being behind on rent from COVID, owing anywhere from $3,000 to $25,000.
backpack
In addition to providing weekend hunger prevention bags for students each week, our program strives to provide extra groceries for the whole family when possible. We continue to bring in new school partners, expanding our Backpack program to help close the gap in childhood hunger.
13
partnered schools help expanding food access.
850
students received food support.
14,000
weekend bags delivered in 2024.
Nova High School | Hawthorne Elementary School | Graham Hill Elementary School | Seattle World School | Interagency High School | Leschi Elementary | Franklin High School | South Shore K-8 | Middle College High School | Sugiyama High School | Beacon Hill Elementary School | Concord Elementary School | Rainier Beach High School
In 2024 we added four new school partners. We also worked with Orca K-8 to provide food through the winter school break.
spark to-go lunch
The premade, ready-to-eat sack lunches provided through this program were initially created for our guests who do not have access to kitchens. Now, closer to multiple schools, our lunches are enjoyed by many more neighbors, including students.
20,500
lunches served.
85
lunches served every day.
An estimated 98% of the food we distribute through this program is sourced from in-kind donations, the majority of which comes in through our grocery rescue program.
In 2024, we saw more than a 30% increase in the number of lunches served compared to 2023.
funding
funding the food bank
In-kind
Individual
Corporate & Employer
Foundation
Government
Fundraising Events
Interest & Other
$1,468,223
$2,038,740
$1,773,177
$1,897,023
$1,853,475
$150,112
$228,044
Total
$9,408,794
We purchased 22% of the food we distributed in 2024. Key partners for in-kind food sourcing include WSDA, Food Lifeline, City of Seattle, and Northwest Harvest.
running the food bank
Program & Services
Management & General
Fundraising
Capital Project
$1,641,648
$572,830
$344,894
$422,937
Total
$2,982,308
*Financial data for 2024 is unaudited at the time of this publication.
Net revenue represents funds raised for our revitalization project and an operational reserve started in 2020.
our community
volunteers in action
10,000
hours of service
75
volunteers per week
10,000
miles traveled
Our volunteers serve in many roles, including (not limited to): Board of Directors · Committees · Client Care · Data Entry · Graphic Design · Grocery Packing · Grocery Rescue · Grocery Shopping Assistant · Grounds Maintenance · Guest Check-in · Home Delivery Driver · Marketing · Translation
in-kind donors
Joining alongside us to provide access to food and resources distributed through our food bank.
Allen Brain Institute | Community Loaves | Grand Central Bakery | Homegrown | Mount Baker Park Presbyterian Church | PCC Columbia City | Ridwell | Safeway Mount Baker & Rainier Valley | Seattle Gymnastics Academy | QFC Broadway & South Mercer Island
impact makers
Providing wrap-around services to tackle the many challenges our neighbors face to creating upward mobility.
One Stop Resources | REACH | St. Vincent de Paul
annual event sponsors
Underwriting the cost of our events throughout the year.
Amazon | Arcora Foundation | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | Brighton Jones | Buchanan General Contracting | Datec Incorporated | Heritage Bank | Local 32 Plumbers & Pipefitters | Schemata Workshop | Sound Credit Union
committees
Our seven committees are tasked with supporting the following initiatives: capital campaign, development, executive, facilities, finance, governance, and programs.
Virginia Anderson | Steve Bergstrom | Nathan Bushey | Kent Button | Calandra Childers | Sandra Faucett | Margaret Gofman | Daniel Gustafson | Molly Haas | James Johnson-Gruspe | Thomas Leinenbach | Beth Maxey | Joe McKinstry | Tracey Middlebrook | Gavin Miller | Maggie O'Sullivan | Phil O'Sullivan | Elias Rainey | Phil Sherwood | Lee Stanton | Sagar Tyagi | Richard Wall | Sarah Weaver | Jennifer Worth | Mika Yamamoto
“Joining the RVFB Development Committee was a really wonderful way to get more connected with an organization and community I already loved. Working with other dedicated volunteers and staff took it to the next level.”
- Phil O’Sullivan, board & committee member
board of directors
Nathan Bushey | Calandra Childers | Margaret Gofman | Daniel Gustafson | Molly Haas | Marcia Lee | Thomas Leinenbach | Brian Leslie | Maggie O’Sullivan | Phil O’Sullivan | Tamara Schmautz | Phil Sherwood | Lee Stanton | Sagar Tyagi | Richard Wall | Mika Yamamoto
staff
Kaitlyn Davidson | Chloe Finkenbine | Zoey Ferenczy | Karey Fey | Gloria Hatcher-Mays | Henry Harris | Joan Hsiao | Nathan Jay | Jasmine Jones | Tae Montgomery | Viridiana Ortiz | Felicia Parson | Otis Pimpleton | Tommy Raine | Hilary Reddy | Julia Smiljanic | Carson Spaulding | Zara Teger | Kathy Ulrich | Zari Warden | Hannah Wertzberger | Attiyya Yafeu
“My marketing internship solidified my desire to work in nonprofits. Before my internship, I focused on social media content. Now, I’ve expanded my skills to include newsletter, blog writing, and photography. Through enhancing my skillsets, I saw how my creativity and advocacy made engaging opportunities for folks to learn about the impacts of food insecurity and how collective action helps end hunger and other societal issues in our community. I’m grateful for the supportive team at RVFB and can’t wait to advance in my career with the strong foundation I've gained as an intern.”
- Zari Warden, Marketing Intern
ways to get involved
Sign up to Volunteer | Join a Committee