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Almost two years after signing an initial memorandum of agreement (MOU) as a first step toward a hoped-for long-term lease to accommodate a new home for the Edmonds Food Bank on church property, the Edmonds Lutheran Church has decided to step away from this effort.
While both parties expressed initial optimism when the MOU was signed — seeing it as a promising first step in complementing their common mission to provide for people in need — much remained to be finalized before it could become reality.
“Feeding people has been such a huge part of our mission here at Edmonds Lutheran, so we are excited about this partnership and what it will be able to do for the community and the continued operations of the food bank,” Edmonds Lutheran Pastor Tim Oleson said during the February 2024 announcement of the potential partnership. Food Bank Executive Director Casey Davis added that “The board, staff and volunteers of the food bank are thrilled to have a path forward that allows us to serve our customers in a space and location that supports our mission of addressing food insecurity and its root causes.”
In an email to My Edmonds News Nov. 9, Oleson explained that after what he described as a “discernment process,” the church leadership team decided that “this is not the right time to move forward with the partnership of constructing a building on our campus to house the Edmonds Food Bank and our ministry of Annie’s Community Kitchen.” (Annie’s Community Kitchen is a service of Edmonds Lutheran Church that provides free hot meals to the community in the church’s Fellowship Hall. Initial plans called for Annie’s to be housed in the new building alongside the Edmonds Food Bank.)
“The church felt it was the wrong option for them at this time, and we of course accept their decision,” the Food Bank’s Casey Davis said in a Nov. 12 interview.
Davis went on to point out that the Edmonds Food Bank currently serves 1,500 families weekly and that plans to find a suitable new space have not been abandoned. The food bank is continuing its capital campaign aimed at funding this effort, she added.
“The need to move remains a priority due to the growth in the number of households served,” she said. “We desperately need a space where we can provide these services.”
Davis also stressed the more immediate need of serving the many families who depend on the food bank and are losing benefits in the wake of the federal shutdown.
“As of Nov. 1, many people in our community lost their benefits permanently,” she said. “And with the continuing increase in prices for food and health care, we anticipate that our numbers will continue to stay at this level. We truly thank the community for the great outpouring of support since the beginning of November and look forward to their continued support in the future.”
For more information on the food bank, its capital plan and the need for a larger facility, see this post by Food Bank Development Director Jeremy Peck. To support the Edmonds Food Bank, visit their website at edmondsfoodbank.org.
Mixed emotions about the use of the church property. I, and many neighborhood members use the land for exercising our dogs and some use the raised beds for growing vegetables. There are also numerous trees dedicated to church parishioners who have passed away. I do appreciate the need for the food bank to move from their current location and hope they can find a solution soon.
Thank you for providing this feedback, Glenn. Though I am answering for myself only, as a member of the church council I find that feedback from the community useful. I, too believe the land plays a valuable role just as it is now for the reasons you listed and more.
Major theological questions are legitimately raised concerning the mission of the “church”
Without the contextual understanding of the biblical term ‘ecklesia’ in present day context.
Today’s “church” is not the biblical image of what God’s plan was by separation from the very beginning. Feeding the poor of the community is not mentioned in scripture.
A church should not take on a social public duty
When it does not care for all the needs of its own, the Ecklesia . Perhaps the church does no longer comprehend the truth of Separation Theology.
To Mr Bess: uh, of course Scripture refers to feeding the poor in the community: on almost every page, e.g., Acts 2, 4, Matt 15.33ff; etc. It’s of the utter essence of faithful living.