Renewal Food Bank shares mission, fills Bellevue’s bellies

The Chamber took a trip to Renewal Food Bank this last month, with volunteers and staff taking us for a tour of their facilities and giving us the rundown of their services. Open Monday through Wednesday, Renewal serves more than 500 families each week, ultimately benefiting around 1,500 individuals.

According to Phillip Peters, the organization’s Executive Director, this is a massive jump in growth from 280 families in just two years. Similarly, since the group doesn’t purchase any of the products being distributed, Renewal Food Bank has “rescued” over 370,000 pounds of food in the past six months alone. (That comes out to about $740,000.)

However, since the organization is currently renting out a space in the Highland Covenant Church and only has 3 full-time employees, its future is a bit uncertain.

“We want to be here,” said Peters. “This is our hyper community, and so we want to stay local.”

Focused on providing culturally-relevant, nutrient-heavy foods to those who need it, volunteers and staff at Renewal function solely off of word-of-mouth, and don’t engage in any type of marketing. There is a particularly low barrier for folks to register — no zip code or income requirements — and the process is done confidentially, and is available in six different languages. 

Additionally, “We have never turned a single person away,” said Peters.

“That is one of our proudest things. We have absolutely never turned anyone away, for any reason." 

Did You Know?

• As well as foodstuffs, Renewal also provides diapers, hygiene items, baby formula, and pet supplies, although there has been a huge reduction of diaper donations due to budget cuts across partner organizations. 
  
  
• It is estimated that shoppers walk out with around $175-$250 worth of items per week.
  
  
• Since the current Renewal location lacks air conditioning, the team has found themselves working with the lights off during the particularly warm summer months. 
  
  
• 60% of Renewal’s staff and 55% of their active volunteers fluently speak languages other than English. 
  
  
• In addition to monetary donations to sustain Renewal’s work, there are plenty of ways you and your team can help out, including company volunteer days or hygiene drives. Learn more here.