Celebrating the Kindness of our Neighbors

A big wave of gratitude always hits me this time of year. Each year the months of November and December elevate all that is great about our community.

Outside our big blue building it is the excitement of the Turkey Trot and our neighbors coming together to trot on Thanksgiving Day. It’s the kids holding food drives at their schools. It is donors providing food and financial support to help us bring all our neighbors food and hope.

Inside our big blue building it is the incredible group of neighbors that share a spirit of kindness, generosity and gratitude. We see students volunteering, families and corporate groups giving their time, and all our volunteers working together to make certain our shelves are full.

This holiday season we were excited to have corporate volunteer groups join us for grocery sorting and Weekend Food for Kids packing. We saw friendly faces from Amazon, Goodman Real Estate, Lockheed Martin, and many other local businesses. The feeling of community is especially strong when our building is full of passionate people connecting and making a difference together.

Reflecting on the holidays spent with my family and friends, I think about the conversation and laughter over a shared meal, and those special, delicious treats. Thanks to our community’s generosity, families who shop at the food bank have those memories and festive foods, too. Whether it’s a centerpiece of a meal: a turkey, ham, or Cornish hen (nearly 500 distributed!) or chocolate Hanukkah coins, we are honored to be a part of these celebrations.

Thank you for making certain families in Northwest Seattle have healthy food. Thank you for preventing homelessness by helping us keep people housed and warm. Thank you for giving our neighbors hope, strength and a sense of belonging. Your support means so much to our community and I invite you share in our work and continue the spirit of giving and volunteering throughout the year.

With gratitude,

Jen Muzia, Executive Director

Volunteers from Goodman Real Estate dedicating their time at Ballard Food Bank over the holidays.