The Snoqualmie Valley Food Bank is running a $5 million capital campaign in the hopes of funding its purchase of a new property in North Bend and upcoming renovations.

The food bank, initially opened in 2013, has long outgrown its leased space at 122 E. 3rd St. in North Bend and purchased a larger building at 43530 SE North Bend Way. The campaign will cover the cost of the building renovations and equipment such as walk-in refrigerators to store perishables, before the food bank moves in the fall of 2026.

The new space has easy access to I-90, plenty of parking and office space that will enable the food bank to host more services. Most importantly, it’s three times the size of the current food bank.

“It needs a lot of work to make it a really welcoming space, but it just has so much potential,” said Executive Director Alison Roberts.

The need for more space was particularly apparent last December when the food bank had more clients for the holidays, Roberts said.

“Our lines were two to three hours long. Folks waiting outside in the cold, families were driving by seeing the lines and turning away,” she said. “It was so apparent that we’d outgrown the space, and we needed a larger location that would enable us to meet the need.”

Owning rather than leasing gives the food bank both stability and the option to grow as needed, Roberts said, which will be necessary as numbers continue to rise. The food bank saw a 14% increase in clients utilizing its services last year, according to the 2024 Impact Report.

Roberts said she expects those numbers to rise again this year as community members grapple with federal cuts to things like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

“Food banks are often viewed as a supplemental source of food — for many of the people [now] coming to the food bank, we’re their main source of food,” she said.

Roberts said the number of people utilizing the food bank is approaching pandemic-era levels. But unlike then, the food bank is receiving less federal funding, not more.

“COVID was a huge crisis for food banks and for families that were food insecure, but there’s a lot of funding that supported that,” she said. “We are now facing a similar crisis where many families in our community are struggling, but instead of seeing additional funding support, we’re seeing those cuts.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has canceled $500 million in funding for both The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) Program, according to a press release from the food bank. TEFAP provides food directly to local food banks and pantries, while LFPA provides state funding that helps food banks purchase food directly from local farmers.

The food bank’s biggest hit has been the cuts to TEFAP, Roberts said. Typically, the food bank picks up thousands of pounds of food from TEFAP each week. But some weeks lately, the amount of food available hasn’t been worth the gas money to get it, she said.

Some of what TEFAP provides — like eggs, milk and meat — cannot be collected through food drives, and the food bank currently has limited storage for those perishable items. This means the food bank has to decide between increasing its purchasing or decreasing the amount of food it gives out, Roberts said.

Having a larger space will at least allow the food bank to store more donations.

“Having a larger facility with better storage will enable us to really maximize the donations that we’re able to receive and have a more efficient process that will enable us to intake more food and provide more food,” Roberts said.

How the community can help

Different from daily giving, the capital campaign is a “once in a lifetime” giving opportunity that benefits the food bank for the next generation, says Terry Pottmeyer, president of the food bank’s board.

The food bank’s capital campaign, titled “Building Together: A Community Without Hunger,” will raise funds for an 800-square-foot grocery-style shopping area; a warehouse with increased cold storage; an indoor waiting area; a community garden; office space; and site upgrades for accessibility needs and improved electrical systems.

Community members can help by donating directly, either through one-time or recurring gifts; volunteering on the campaign committee or at upcoming events; and introducing more community members to the food bank.

For more information and to make donations, visit snoqualmievalleyfoodbank.org/building-together.

If any businesses are interested in partnering with or sponsoring the food bank, they can reach out to Development Manager Karl Kaluza at karl@SnoqualmieValleyFoodBank.org.