We at the Edmonds Food Bank are deeply grateful to be part of such a generous and supportive community, especially during the holiday season. Businesses, schools, and individuals across Edmonds are stepping up through food drives, fundraisers, and toy collections, keeping us running every day.

The holidays revolve around food — sharing meals, preparing family recipes, and creating traditions. We want everyone in our community to have access to fresh, culturally relevant, and nutritious food this season.

We also know that with the added costs of the holiday season, many families are stuck with hard decisions to make between purchasing nutritious food and purchasing gifts or other necessities. This is why Edmonds Toy Shop is one of our annual community programs, providing new toys, books and gift cards to our customers.

We know there is someone reading this who may be able to make a $1,000 donation to purchase a greatly needed pallet of rice or someone who can collect their extra grocery bags for us. We believe that every act of generosity, no matter the size, makes us a stronger community.

Here are five ways that you and your family can support the food bank this holiday season:

1. Giving Tuesday: Tuesday December 3rd is Giving Tuesday. This global day of giving is one of the most important days of the year for our fundraising. You can help us reach our $50,000 goal by donating at edmondsfoodbank.org/givingtuesday or mailing in a check.
2. Edmonds Toy Shop: We are collecting new toys for ages 0-9 and funds to purchase gift cards for families with older children. We will be collecting toys at the food bank until Dec. 5 for our event on Dec. 7. Visit edmondsfoodbank.org/toy-shop to purchase a gift from our Amazon Wishlist, make a monetary donation to Toy Shop or sign up to volunteer.
3. Host a Food Drive: Host a food drive or donation bin for your office, church, school or neighborhood. Our most-needed items right now are: rice, condiments, baking ingredients, canned veggies and canned tuna.
4. Save Your Bags: We use paper and plastic grocery bags each week for our customer’s orders. Bring your bags in anytime we are open, we will put them to great use!
5. Volunteer: We have volunteers who show up at the same time each week and some who show up with they can. We have a job for everyone from organizing, shopping, driving and admin tasks. Visit edmondsfoodbank.org/volunteer to learn more.

We are deeply grateful for this community. Please contact us with any questions you have about supporting this important work.

Edmonds Food Bank is open for donations Mondays from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Tuesdays-Fridays from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

To learn more, email Community@edmondsfoodbank.org.

— By Casey Davis
Edmonds Food Bank Executive Director