This East Pierce County food bank offers fresh greens that a local farmer grows on-site
A seed was planted — literally and figuratively — at the Bonney Lake Food Bank earlier this year.
About nine months after, a long-lasting partnership with a local microgreens farmer grew from it, and is supplying those who visit the food bank with fresh greens.
The food bank at 24015 Washington state Route 410 in Buckley has been serving the community for many years. Between 80 to 100 families visit per day, CEO Stacey Crnich said. She rebranded the food bank in 2020, and her partnership with Moms Micro Garden and Urban Farm followed.
“It started super organically,” Crnich said.
When owner Patrick Brown toured the food bank in February, he asked Crnich about their plans for the greenhouse next to the facility. What used to be a storage area turned into a space for Brown to grow his microgreens.
“The food bank would let me use their walk-in cooler if I would supply them with some donations,” Brown said. “It just kind of spiraled from that into this really copacetic relationship where I am able to provide them fresh-cut produce … on a weekly basis.”
The greenhouse is about 2,000 square feet, Brown said. He grows his greens on racks about five levels high. Some of the microgreens Brown grows that food bank patrons are supplied with include sunflower, radish and cantaloupe shoots.
Brown said the greatest source of food security comes from local farmers and growers, because a semi-truck is not necessary to transport the goods from one state to another.
“Bonney Lake is surrounded by farmland,” Brown said. “If you want to talk about food security, this is a really good way to go about it.”
Crnich said she considers the food bank an “innovative nonprofit.” They develop partnerships with local food distributors. People can also get food delivered to them, and they can receive updates via text message in their preferred language, she said.
When people walk into the food bank, it is almost as if they are in a grocery store. Shopping carts can be found on the left of the main door. There is also an area that features seasonal recipes for dishes people can prepare with the items they have available.
Food is a human right, Crnich said. People should not feel less about who they are if they walk into a food bank. They wanted to ensure the layout and how the food bank operates were intentional, she said.
“We serve people with great dignity,” Crnich said.
The food bank’s partnership with Brown is not the end goal. They have been relentless with ensuring that the food bank is equitable, and they plan on continuing those efforts for many years to come, she said.
“There’s something bigger here that we can do in our community to create a hyper-local, self-sustaining food bank,” Crnich said. “That would be the dream, but we have to baby step to that.”
