Thank you for the incredible response to last month’s column. Your kind words and thoughtful comments remind me how connected we are – and how much you care. Many were moved to begin supporting the food bank through monthly donations, volunteer hours, and food donations. This support helps us continue adapting and growing to meet the needs of our neighbors.

For 40 years, the Sequim Food Bank has been a cornerstone of our community, providing free, nutritious food in a welcoming environment. Today, we serve nearly 30% of Eastern Clallam County’s population through weekly grocery distribution, weekend meal bags for children, partnerships with local farms, and other programs that increase access to nutritious food.

Our mission is simple: To provide food and assistance to individuals and organizations in our community. We envision a future where everyone in Sequim has access to food and the resources to thrive. Our work is guided by core values of dignity, choice, community, collaboration, and sustainability.

While food is central to what we do, it’s not the whole story. We’re working toward something bigger: expanding the Sequim Food Bank into a full-service solution center where people can access nutritious food and connections to additional services and tools that support long-term stability.

This month, we shine a spotlight on one of the most powerful examples of this mission in action: our Local Farm Purchasing Program.

• Locally grown, shared

Our Local Farm Purchasing Program is underway for the season, and we couldn’t be more excited. This year, we’re partnering with six local farms – Beanstalk Farm, Chi’s Farm, Joy Farm, Meadowbrook Farm, River Run Farm, and Tampopo Farm – to purchase seasonal produce grown in Clallam County for our visitors. We’ve committed at least $45,000 this year to buy fresh produce from local farms, reinforcing our commitment to dignity, nutrition, and a sustainable local food system.

This program is more than a food supply chain; it’s a collaboration rooted in community resilience. Each farm grows food specifically for the food bank, knowing it will feed their neighbors. Every dollar spent stays local, supporting family farms, sustaining farmland, and strengthening our economy.

Thanks to these partnerships, families visiting the food bank receive fresh, nutrient-dense produce – greens, carrots, beets, squash, potatoes, berries – all grown here. Visitors often share how delighted they are to receive such beautiful produce – the kind rarely offered at this level of freshness and flavor. Many share their excitement about preparing colorful salads and roasted vegetables, proudly passing along favorite recipes that highlight the abundances grown in our own backyard.

We’re proud this program helps farming remain a viable livelihood in our region. Buying directly from local farms keeps them growing, diversifies their markets, and builds meaningful relationships. Also, we’re excited to support a new farm, launched through an agreement to grow food for the food bank, and we look forward to sharing its harvest in the near future.

It’s a win-win-win: for neighbors who need food, for the farmers who grow it, and for a stronger, more sustainable local food system. Every bunch of kale and every basket of strawberries represents more than nutrition, it represents a commitment to feeding our community through partnerships, care, and shared abundance.

• Ways to support work

If you’re wondering how to help ensure families continue receiving the food they need, here are two ways to get involved:

Form a Full Pantry Project team. This program invites you to form donation teams. Each month, team members fill bags with our most-needed items and return them to their team leader, who hands out fresh bags with next month’s list – keeping the cycle going.

It’s simple, flexible, and powerful. Every bag helps meet rising food need and maintain a steady food supply. Visit our website or email us to sign up and receive your bag and list.

Participate in the Postal Carrier Food Drive. It’s simple. Just leave a bag of non-perishable food near your mailbox by 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 17 and your letter carrier will deliver it to the Sequim Food Bank.

This drive helps us prepare for summer, when donations tend to dip but need remains high, especially for families whose kids are out of school. Most-needed items include peanut butter, canned tuna or chicken, mac and cheese, canned fruit, pasta, and pasta sauce.

• Growing, together

Every carrot pulled from local soil, every bag filled through the Full Pantry Project, and every donation left by a mailbox reflects a shared truth: small acts together create big impact. Thank you for growing this work with us.

To learn more or get involved, visit sequimfoodbank.org, email us at info@sequimfoodbank.org, follow us on social media, or stop by during open hours.

We’re here together – and we’re here because of you.

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Andra Smith is executive director of the Sequim Food Bank