TACOMA, Wash. — Eloise’s Cooking Pot Food Bank in Tacoma has served Pierce County for the past 15 years. Its owner said over just the past few years since the pandemic, the need for food has increased significantly in the community.
On Wednesday, they held their weekly drive-up food giveaway at the Tacoma Dome, but this week they gave out food and grocery store gift cards for their special Thanksgiving giveaway. Hundreds of cars were lined up around the Tacoma Dome to receive food.
“We generally serve about 400 people on a normal Wednesday,” said Ahndrea Blue, the CEO of the Making a Difference Foundation, which owns Eloise’s Food Bank. “We're expecting somewhere between 500 and 600 people today.”
She said the goal is to care for the community and show love to others, just like her Grandma Eloise did.
“When I started Eloise’s 15 years ago, I named it after my grandmother, African-American grandmother. You can always get a hot meal at an African-American grandmother's house no matter what, no questions asked,” said Blue.
Eloise’s Cooking Pot serves around 75,000 people each month through food giveaways, home food deliveries, mobile food pantries, and more. Blue said they give out 1.5 million pounds of food each month. She said they serve families, elderly people, and have seen an increase in military members in need of food assistance.
Clients of Eloise’s Cooking Pot said they don’t know what they would do without this resource.
“If you go to the store, you're going to spend $40 every time you go to the store,” said Sheree Staples, who has been receiving food from them the past two years. “So, like I said, the nice foods that they do give you help you later on in the in the month.”
She said it is not just about the food they give you, but the love and dignity Eloise’s Cooking Pot shows to clients.
“It might be a difficult day, a difficult week, or a difficult month,” said Staples. “And you're sure that they're going to be there to help you.”
The drive-up food giveaways used to be held in a neighborhood near Eloise’s Cooking Pot's current location on McKinley Avenue, but they needed more space due to the big turnout. Two years ago, they partnered with the Tacoma Dome to be able to hold the giveaways there.
“I'm from the area and this is what we do, this is how we show up for our community” said DeMeSHee Pye, the Community Impact Coordinator for Tacoma Venues and Events. “We have this open lot that was available for Ahndrea to use and what’s a better way to partner with someone that is giving back to the community.”
Clients and employees of Eloise’s Cooking Pot encourage people to reach out for assistance if they are in need of food.
“Never be embarrassed because we're all in this together,” said Staples.
Eloise’s Cooking Pot is in need of monetary and food donations. Blue said they have a waiting list of 1,500 people for home food deliveries. You can donate money on their website or donate food to their location at 3543 E. McKinley Avenue in Tacoma.