Lake Stevens Food Bank looking forward to new building
Published on Wed, Jun 27, 2012 by BY PAM STEVENS | MANAGING EDITORRead More Local News
After almost eight years of searching for the perfect site to house a new and improved Food Bank, the hunt is finally over. The even better news is that the food bank only has to move a few hundred yards away from their original site.
The land just west of the Ebenezer Lutheran Church on 117th Ave. NE, has been bought by Sentinel Rock, LLC, who has agreed to give the church a great deal on a piece of the property, which is adjacent to the church’s parking lot.
The church will then lease the future building to the food bank for $1 per year for 40 years.
“We’re just waiting for a written agreement from the church,” Mitch Robinson, President of the food bank’s board said. “We have asked them to write up the lease since they will be the landlord.”
The new building is projected to be two-stories with approximately 6,000 square feet of space. Currently they are occupying 1,100 square feet with an additional three storage units to house supplies and food.
“We are tickled to have this opportunity,” Robinson said.
Currently, the food bank has raised $100,000 towards the project but are expecting the total cost to be somewhere around $400,000 to $500,000. This means that they will need the community’s support, support they have always received in the past.
“We have always felt that we had the community’s support,” Robinson said.
That support has been evident in the last year alone with the amounts of food items that have been donated. Over 300,000 pounds of food was collected in 2011 and Lake Stevens High School collected over 40,000 pounds during their holiday food drive.
While the number of families the food bank serves seems to remain between 270-300 families a month, the amount of donations has increased giving the food bank more opportunities to help.
The food bank board is hoping to be able to find a donor who will match any funds they can raise, which means that the community will have a part in building the new food bank. They will also have more opportunities to volunteer in the bigger space.
“What better way to be proud of a building then to help build it,” Robinson said. “The large building will take more volunteers but they will be much more comfortable.”
The building may come as soon as next year, if all goes well.
“My personal goal is to have the building underway by late Fall of 2013,” Robinson said.
They may even be able to use the bottom floor to house an entity who has the same missions as the church.
The land just west of the Ebenezer Lutheran Church on 117th Ave. NE, has been bought by Sentinel Rock, LLC, who has agreed to give the church a great deal on a piece of the property, which is adjacent to the church’s parking lot.
The church will then lease the future building to the food bank for $1 per year for 40 years.
“We’re just waiting for a written agreement from the church,” Mitch Robinson, President of the food bank’s board said. “We have asked them to write up the lease since they will be the landlord.”
The new building is projected to be two-stories with approximately 6,000 square feet of space. Currently they are occupying 1,100 square feet with an additional three storage units to house supplies and food.
“We are tickled to have this opportunity,” Robinson said.
Currently, the food bank has raised $100,000 towards the project but are expecting the total cost to be somewhere around $400,000 to $500,000. This means that they will need the community’s support, support they have always received in the past.
“We have always felt that we had the community’s support,” Robinson said.
That support has been evident in the last year alone with the amounts of food items that have been donated. Over 300,000 pounds of food was collected in 2011 and Lake Stevens High School collected over 40,000 pounds during their holiday food drive.
While the number of families the food bank serves seems to remain between 270-300 families a month, the amount of donations has increased giving the food bank more opportunities to help.
The food bank board is hoping to be able to find a donor who will match any funds they can raise, which means that the community will have a part in building the new food bank. They will also have more opportunities to volunteer in the bigger space.
“What better way to be proud of a building then to help build it,” Robinson said. “The large building will take more volunteers but they will be much more comfortable.”
The building may come as soon as next year, if all goes well.
“My personal goal is to have the building underway by late Fall of 2013,” Robinson said.
They may even be able to use the bottom floor to house an entity who has the same missions as the church.
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