The Blessing Food Bank has been in operation and managed exclusively by volunteers since 2012. They found a home with the Church of the Living God in the Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma about four years ago, when Pantry Manager Susan Muschanow, Bishop Lawrence White, and Cynthia Franklin met by chance at a Yelm food distribution. Waiting in line, these three individuals formed a long-lasting relationship and collaboration based on a mutual commitment to feeding our neighbors in need.
Like many of our Partner Programs, The Blessing has had to adjust operations because of COVID-19. Before the pandemic, guests often enjoyed coffee and snacks while a volunteer helped them select their groceries. Now offering prepacked boxes curbside, relationships with guests are still at the heart of The Blessing’s day-to-day operations. When longtime volunteer Cynthia had knee surgery three weeks ago and missed several weeks of service, many guests expressed how much they missed her. This is the type of experience that motivates Cynthia to do the hard work she does, even in the cold and wet winter months. Often greeting guests by name, six dedicated volunteers deliver food boxes to vehicles on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm.
The Blessing serves about 275 visitors a month distributing 19,113 pounds of food. The Blessing has partnered with EFN since 2013 with about half of the food that goes through their pantry coming from EFN. This includes a great variety of fresh foods like collard greens, squash, kale, Swiss chard, and of course the usual staples like, dairy, peanut butter, soups, and meat, such as beef, chicken, and ground turkey.
There is no paid staff at The Blessing, so reliable and generous volunteers are essential to the work done each week. If you would like to contribute your time or resources to The Blessing Food Bank contact Susan Muschanow at theblessingcfb@gmail.com or 253-678-7826 to learn more.