2023 Annual Report

Jan 28

We don’t just want to hand guests a bag of food. We provide guests space to make choices on the food they provide for their family, and then we ask them what else they may need. We can’t do any of this without collaboration. From our service partners who join alongside us to provide wrap-around support to the volunteers who work in partnership with us and the local farms who provide our produce — ending hunger will take all of us.

As the primary emergency food resource in Seattle’s most racially and economically diverse neighborhood, we are a low-barrier provider, ensuring that anyone can access our services regardless of housing status, income, zip code, or immigration status.

Download the 2023 Annual Report

In 2023 RVFB

Was open for 197 days of service.

Distributed 1,527,002 lbs. of food.

Purchased 798,600 lbs. of food.

Received 728,402 lbs. of donated food.

Impact

98,428 instances of service.

6,746 households received service.

18,457 individuals received service.

a message from our leadership

A message from our executive director

Gloria Hatcher-Mays

Throughout 2023, the RVFB community focused on opportunity. We are in that 'long tail' phase of COVID recovery, which saw us facing record inflation — especially in the cost of food and fuel — two key expense categories for our operations. We saw an opportunity and sought grants to purchase locally grown, culturally relevant foods to serve our guests.

We have seen our programs grow, with our SPARK To-Go Lunch program serving between 75-90 clients daily and our grocery service swelling to 200 clients per session. We've seized this opportunity, forming partnerships with church neighbors and other nonprofits to build our service capacity.

As we look ahead to our expansion and continued growth, we deeply appreciate your continued support.

A Message from our Board Chair

Margaret Gofman

2023 started off with operations at the food bank settling in after our move to the new location, COVID tapering off, programs running smoothly, and capital campaign funds continuing to come in.

Behind the scenes in the front of the house, the wheels of change were revving up for the Phase 2 move in 2024. Both the administration and operations teams were hard at work planning all the details required for the move and keeping RVFB running smoothly and at full service.

The Board of Directors worked closely with the staff through communications and committee meetings during this process, and we applaud the work completed in 2023 by the RVFB staff and volunteers.

Meet the Team

Our Staff

Investing in our team is an important part of progressing towards ending hunger in our community. Throughout the year, we added two new positions and increased our team’s minimum salary to $68,000 a year, representing an investment in creating living wage jobs in our community.

Attiyya Yafeu, Driver Logistics Coordinator · Chloe Finkenbine, Food Delivery Program Coordinator · Felicia Parson, Administrative Assistant · Gloria Hatcher-Mays, Executive Director · Henry Harris, Food Services Coordinator · Hilary Reddy, Development Support Specialist · Jarrod Wright, Data Coordinator · Jasmine Jones, Executive Assistant · Julia Smiljanic, Senior Marketing Communication Specialist · Joan Hsiao, Finance Manager · Kaitlyn Davidson, Youth Outreach Coordinator · Kathy Ulrich, Development Director · Karey Fey, Operations Director · Nathan Jay, Facilities Coordinator · Otis Pimpleton, Food Services Manager · Ryan Cooper, Volunteer Coordinator · Tae Montgomery, Human Resources · Tara Migliore, Operations Manager · Tommy Raine, Warehouse Assistant · Zara Teger, Outreach Coordinator · Zoey Ferenczy, Development Associate

Our interns

Ava · Melva · Robert · Savannah · Thien · Winnie

Our Committees

Capital Campaign Committee

Virginia Anderson · Linda Breneman · Kent Button · Margaret Gofman · Daniel Gustafson · Joe McKinstry · Jennifer Worth · Mika Yamamoto

Development Committee

Calandra Childers · Margaret Gofman · Sarah Faucett · Tracy Middlebrook · Phil O’Sullivan · Sagar Tyagi

Executive Committee

Nathan Bushey · Calandra Childers · Thomas Leinenbach · Lee Stanton

Facilities Committee

Margaret Gofman · Maggie O’Sullivan · Phil Sherwood · Lee Stanton

Finance Committee

Margaret Gofman · Thomas Leinenbach · Phil O’Sullivan · Phil Sherwood · Sarah Weaver · Jennifer Worth

Governance Committee

Nathan Bushey · Margaret Gofman · Daniel Gustafson

Programs Committee

Nathan Bushey · Margaret Gofman · Molly Haas · James Johnson-Gruspe · Theresa Lucianod · Maggie O’Sullivan · Dick Wall

our board

Nathan Bushey · Calandra Childers · Margaret Gofman · Daniel Gustafson · Thomas Leinenbach · Maggie O’Sullivan · Phil O’Sullivan · Phil Sherwood · Lee Stanton · Mika Yamamoto

funding & Running the food bank

In-kind $1,409,508

Individual $1,831,847

Corporate & Employer $489,874

Foundation $1,413,314

Government $583,973

Fundraising Events $165,548

Interest & Other $190,716

Total $6,084,780

Programs & Services $1,606,696

Management & General $439,494

Fundraising $263,833

Capital Project $294,381

Total $2,604,404

Net revenue represents funds raised for our revitalization project, and an operational reserve started in 2020.

hunger in our community

In Washington 1 in 10 people are food insecure. In South-east King County, that rate is more than double, with 1 in 4 people food insecure.

The 98118 zip code has the highest ranking of unaffordable housing and the highest unemployment rate.

98,428 visits were made to the food bank throughout 2023. A nearly 20% increase in overall visits served compared to 2022.

Our community is made up of:

18,457 guests

769 volunteers

2,064 donors

21 staff members

Our programs

Home Delivery

Weekly deliveries of grocery bags filled with fresh produce, meat, and dry goods for our neighbors in South Seattle.

530 households received weekly food deliveries.

25,179 deliveries made throughout South Seattle.

Grocery Shopping

Bringing our guests in to shop our distribution center, browsing our shelves and selecting the items their family prefers.

4,486 unique households joined us to shop for groceries in 2023.

44,706 visits were made to grocery shop with us.

In 2023, we saw a 46% increase in the number of households visiting compared to 2022.

backpack

Students eligible for free and reduced lunch through partnered schools receive food for the weekend.

Beacon Hill Elementary · Graham Hill Elementary · Leschi Elementary · Seattle World School · Hawthorne Elementary · South Shore K-8 · Franklin High School · Sugiyama High School · Rainier View Elementary

1,730 students received weekly food support.

9 school partners.

spark to-go lunches

A pre-made meal for those that don’t have access to housing, a place to cook, or are in transition.

15,714 lunches provided to guests who stopped by the food bank in 2023.

In 2023, we saw a 10% increase in the amount of meals served compared to 2022.

community connector

Connecting our neighbors to aid for housing, utility bills, clothing, healthcare and more.

Throughout 2023, we expanded our Community Connector services, offering naloxone and fentanyl test strips. In October 2023, we launched South Seattle’s first financial assistance helpline, providing one-time financial assistance to keep our neighbors housed and prevent evictions..

350 individuals were connected to services via our community connector program.

Our Community

volunteers in action

Our community gave 21,073 hours of service. A 31% increase in service compared to 2023.

Our volunteers show up to support our work in so many ways, including: Board of Directors · Capital Campaign Committee · Client Care · Data Entry · Development Committee · Facilities Committee · Finance Committee · Graphic Design · Grocery Packing · Grocery Rescue · Grocery Shopping Assistant · Grounds Maintenance · Guest Check-in · Home Delivery Driver · Marketing & Communications · Translation