Councilmember gives back to Sky Valley Food Bank

Monroe City Councilmember Kevin Hanford was able to watch things come full circle last week, as he delivered a $2,500 contribution to the Sky Valley Food Bank; the same food bank that once served his family in a time of need.

The donation was made on behalf of the Employees Community Fund (ECF) of Boeing Puget Sound, of which Hanford is the vice president. The ECF is an employee-owned and operated program that engages in community outreach by providing grants to local nonprofit agencies. Boeing employees are able to pool their tax-deductible donations to maximize their impact on surrounding communities, and Boeing helps enhance their efforts by paying 100 percent of the program's administrative costs.

Hanford, his wife, Julie, and ECF treasurer Ryan Mabbott presented the check to Sky Valley Food Bank Executive Director Neil Watkins on Wednesday, Dec. 16. Monroe Police and Fire Chaplain Michael Hanford, Kevin Hanford's father, stopped by to support his son's efforts and join in the celebration. -á -á

"Ryan and I, on behalf of the Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound, would like to give you a check for $2,500, for the purchase of food to replenish your food bank stock following the holiday season,GÇ¥ Hanford said.

Being able make such a significant contribution to the Monroe food bank was especially meaningful, said Hanford, since his family required the food bank's services after he was laid off 5 1/2 years ago.

"My wife and I had to utilize this food bank for almost a year,GÇ¥ Hanford said. "When I finally got hired at Boeing, I was able to stop coming here.GÇ¥

Being in a position to give back to such a valuable program was a profoundly satisfying experience, he said.-á -á

The holidays are a busy time for the Sky Valley Food Bank, which provides Christmas stockings, gifts and dinners to families in need, going above and beyond the food it provides during normal operations. The food bank's Diane Wilton Toy Room was packed full of donated toys last week, as volunteers bustled in preparation of the food bank's Christmas distribution services, which took place on Friday Dec. 18, Monday, Dec. 21, and Tuesday, Dec. 22.-á

The food bank relies on community donations and volunteers to help distribute the food, Watkins said.

"We have over 80 at any given time,GÇ¥ he said. "On any service day, we'll have 35 volunteers working.GÇ¥

Volunteer Becky Grannan, who has managed the food bank's holiday gift program for three years, said this year's toy drives were the most fruitful yet. Many of the donated items came from school-organized toy drives, including Chain Lake, Salem Woods, Fryelands Elementary and Monroe Montessori.-á

"I have never seen this many toys,GÇ¥ Grannan said. "This is a good problem to have.GÇ¥

Christmas stockings filled with toys and treats were provided by Mick Wilton in memory of his wife, Diane, who founded the Christmas stocking program many years ago.

This year, they anticipated serving between 600 and 700 kids, Grannan said.

"Everyone gets a stocking and a stuffed animal and at least one toy and a family game, so every kid will have something,GÇ¥ she said. "And if they don't get a present they will get a bike, we have a limited amount of bikes.GÇ¥

The Sky Valley Food Bank primarily serves Monroe families residing within the boundaries of the Monroe School District, but recently started distributing food in Index and Skykomish.

"Once we get done with the holidays, we will have distributed out of this building over a million pounds of food,GÇ¥ Watkins said.

After presenting their donation to the Sky Valley Food Bank, Hanford and Mabbott proceeded to the Snohomish Community Food Bank and dropped off an additional donation there. Helping alleviate food insecurity is a priority for the ECF, which frequently targets health and human service agencies as it strives to make a positive impact on families.

In addition to the Sky Valley and Snohomish food banks, recent grants made by the ECF include Housing Hope's HopeWorks program, Seattle's FareStart program and the Edmonds Senior Center.

For more information about the Sky Valley Food Bank, visit www.svfoodbank.org.-á