White Center Food Bank Welcomes Community to New Facility

by Agueda Pacheco Flores

Volunteers were working hard Monday morning, stocking shelves and organizing the back-of-house warehouse while a line started forming outside White Center Food Bank's new facility, located on 16th Avenue Southwest.

"When people think of food banks, they think of only canned goods," said Randy Nguyen, the marketing and community engagement coordinator for the White Center Food Bank (WCFB), while walking around the grocery-store-style distribution center. But WCFB carries more than canned goods."We offer culturally familiar foods," Nguyen added.

At the new facility, customers can grab a grocery cart and walk around choosing from dry goods, like beans, oatmeal, and bread, to things like eggs and milk, which aren't usually offered at food banks. This month, WCFB is offering items like vermicelli noodles and coconut milk to honor the Lunar New Year celebrations some customers might partake in.

On Jan. 15, nearly 500 people attended WCFB's grand opening, which was catered by G Seattle Grab & Go and El Catrin. At the event, King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, alongside his newly elected successor Teresa Mosqueda, remarked on the work King County contributed to the project, which was two years in the making.

"When they found this location … I was able, as budget chair, to direct $2 million to help renovate what did not look like this at all," McDermott said, to chuckles from the audience.

The new location has a front desk area that helps register customers. Front desk staff speak a variety of languages, which Nguyen says helps break down cultural barriers and is one of the reasons community members from beyond White Center like to get their food at WCFB.

"We're proud of making customers feel at home," said Nguyen.

The front desk area is also home to a large baby pantry, stocked with diapers, baby formula, and other products. Past the intake desk is the grocery area, which leads into the back-of-the-house warehouse, where volunteers help organize and restock food for both the grocery area and its delivery program. That area includes two large fridges and a weigh station to keep track of how much food is distributed. A door between the warehouse and grocery area leads to the offices, where staff and volunteers can gather at a kitchen for lunch or walk down the hall to sit in on a meeting.

According to Nguyen, since its grand opening earlier this month, the food bank is seeing on average 250 customers a day — a big jump from 90 customers a day at its old facility, which was tucked away in the neighborhood, on 8th Avenue Southwest.

"I've seen lots of new customers who say they didn't know White Center had a food bank," said Mike Playford, the director of operations. "The old site was hidden and out of view."

Still, Playford says WCFB is one of the busiest regional food banks, distributing more than a million pounds of food last year.

"It's easier for people to visualize 38 pounds of food per visit, 13 pounds of which is fresh produce," he explained. "We're feeding 850 families a week, maybe higher than that."

The new food bank is much more visible, decked out with murals done by local neighborhood artists Jake Prendez, Rafa Daz, and Jose Rodriguez III. Its location in the heart of White Center also gives it the feeling of a community hub as opposed to just a food bank.

As for the old site, Nguyen says it will be demolished to make room for affordable housing and local businesses.

Community building and collaboration is a key part of what WCFB is trying to do as well. Later this month, the food bank will host an Empty Bowls fundraising event at the Burien Community Center, where people can purchase handmade ceramic bowls and try different soups. And later this year, WCFB will play a key role in the Taste of White Center event, whose proceeds will also benefit the food bank's mission.

In the meantime, Playford says even though parking is limited for the time being, a project to renovate that section of 16th Avenue has been greenlit, which will add better parking. Despite that, Playford says, "everyone is excited" to be working in a site that's "shiny, bright, and festive."

📸 Featured Image: The new location of the White Center Food Bank features murals done by local neighborhood artists Jake Prendez, Rafa Diaz, and Jose Rodriguez III. (Photo courtesy of White Center Food Bank)