SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash. — The need at Sedro-Woolley's Helping Hands Food Bank hit an all-time high during the pandemic.
Now, the need is 20% higher, and there is no end in sight.
The first time Lori Johnson came to Helping Hands was in 2018. Her father was gravely ill. The family needed all the help they could get. The food bank allowed them a moment to exhale.
"It made all the difference," Lori says. "With kids at home and all of the mental load that was going on, it was huge."
Helping Hands saw 200,000 visits last year, the most ever.
More and more clients are families like Lori's with two kids and two working parents.
Lori runs a small business. Her husband is a plumber, but still, it's hard to put food on the table.
It's forcing Lori back into the food bank for the first time in 5 years.
"I would say even up to six months ago I never would have expected to have come back," she says.
According to the U.S. Census, 11.6% of Skagit County's population lives below the poverty line.
The median household income is barely over $75,000.
The average worker earns just $37,723 a year.
"We're a family that chose to not have debt, we don't pay rent, we don't have a car loan, we don't have a mortgage," explains Lori. "If we can't make it, I don't see how anybody could. I don't know how people are doing it."
Prior to the pandemic, food banks like Helping Hands were seen by many as necessary but not critical parts of our communities.
They pivoted through lockdowns to make sure people were fed. They provided gas cards, clothing, and even firewood.
Now, they are deemed essential.
With the cost of living soaring, and record numbers of seniors and working families in need, food banks are growing more and more essential every day.
"I think we're more than just a food bank," says Helping Hands Executive Director Rebecca Skrinde. "We mitigate suffering. We give hope and we partner with people to take some loneliness out of their life."
For Lori, simply knowing that help is there whenever she needs it, is a Godsend.
"This organization, I'm so glad they're in our community," she says. "What they do is irreplaceable."
In 2024, Skagit County is planning to put together a system to better connect food banks and local farms to make essential services, like the food bank, more sustainable.
KING 5’s annual Home Team Harvest drive to benefit Northwest Harvest is underway. This year’s goal is to raise 23 million meals.
Ways to donate:
- Online through Northwest Harvest
- Visit your local Safeway or Albertsons to give $5, $10 or $12 toward grocery cards.
- Make in-person donations at two locations on Dec. 2 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Rainier Safeway: 9262 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98118
Everett Safeway: 5802 134th Place SE, Everett, WA 98208
Watch the Home Team Harvest broadcast special on Dec. 2 at 10 a.m. on KING 5, KING5.com and KING 5+.