By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – On Tuesday, President Joe Biden signed into law a twelve-bill spending package to fund the federal government, a package that included over $23 million to 10 community projects here in Washington’s sixth congressional district.
That funding includes the final $900,000 needed to purchase the building now being leased by the Port Angeles Food Bank.
Renovations on the building have been ongoing since they moved in during the height of the pandemic. They’ve been distributing food using a drive-through model since last summer, but in May they’ll open the new 2,000 square-foot market area using the “grocery store” model they adopted in the old facility in 2018.
But, as Executive Director Emily Dexter tells us, that’s just the beginning of a whole new vision for operating a food bank.
So, the last part of the renovation is the 1800 square-foot commercial kitchen, which is two parts, to process excess food from our warehouse into usable food. Creating ready-to-eat meals, and also stuff that is prepared and frozen for people to go home and reheat. And then, the second part of that kitchen is a processing kitchen, so that we can process abundance of local produce, you know, if we get a truckload of potatoes and we don’t have to give them all out of whole potatoes. We can process them and freeze them or, you know, same thing with other local vegetables and local products.”
They’re also creating multiple office and meeting spaces that will be used to connect their patrons with outside services provided by other local agencies, if needed.
But, while the latest federal funding closes the deal on purchasing the building more funds are needed to complete the total vision of a full-service food bank in Port Angeles. That’s why the Nourish to Flourish capital campaign is ongoing. Dexter says they are still raising the final $1M to complete renovations, with the end result being a Port Angeles Food Bank that truly is a model for the entire region.
“You know, we’re working really hard to create a welcoming space where people feel good to come to a food bank that is warm and inviting and comfortable, that when you walk in, you feel good about yourself, not bad about yourself.”
Visit the Port Angeles Food Bank at 632 North Oakridge Drive near Walmart on Wednesday and Friday form 11:00-2:30 and Saturday 10:00-1:00.
(Banner Graphic: Designer’s rendering of food bank’s new market area.)