Ballard Food Bank remains hopeful for our country and our community

With the New Year, many of us held such great hope as we said goodbye to 2020 and welcomed 2021. Yet, during our first week we found ourselves watching a terrorist attempt to overturn the results of the election. This violent undermining of our democracy was shocking for some but unfortunately not surprising for many. The stark difference between the treatment by law enforcement of white supremacists versus protestors in support of Black lives did not go unnoticed.

We are still processing the horrific events in D.C. last week. As we continue to learn more about how those days events unfolded: the violence, the hatred, the racism, the destruction, the police response, the loss of life, and the heroes one thing is very clear: we must stand against racism and antisemitism.

What remained true was our democracy. At the end of the day there was an unwavering call to certify the election results in the early morning hours – and ensure all our votes counted. With the sunrise we found ourselves facing a new day for our democracy to continue to seek a more perfect, equitable and just union. Next week we inaugurate a new President and Vice-President who are focused on bringing hope back to our nation.

Hope is an underlying value of Ballard Food Bank. Through our mission we continue to bring food and hope to our neighbors. For all of us, 2020 has been the most challenging year any of us have experienced. Yet, throughout our community has offered support and hope to ALL our neighbors.

This past year has shown us is that despite a pandemic we are a strong, hope-filled community. We welcome our neighbors. We march for Black lives. We work to address the systemic racism that creates disparities around health, housing, food, jobs, education and safety, especially for communities of color. 

We are here, for you, our neighbor. This year is an opportunity to come together and create an equitable recovery from this crisis. We wish all our neighbors hope, peace, health and safety for 2021.

-Jen Muzia, Executive Director