We will be closed on Tuesday, March 3rd.
If you are looking for food supports on Tuesday, the following food banks and pantries will be open:
Read MoreThrough the gloom, rain, and sunshine, our team spent time in Olympia over the last few weeks connecting with legislators on priorities that massively impact our community.
Each year during the Washington Legislative Session we take a step back and think about the bigger picture. We ask, "What policies at the state level would help our neighbors meet their needs?", "What policies would make it easier and more effective to bring food and hope to our neighbors?" Then our staff and community members chat face to face with lawmakers on how we can move forward in making these policies a reality.
Read MoreDr. Cornel West has said that “justice is what love looks like in public.” From my vantage point as part of Ballard Food Bank’s fundraising team, I have the privilege of seeing this sentiment up close, as our donors demonstrate through their generosity that access to food is a human right, and that loving our neighbors is a transformative act. Such powerful loving kindness brings immense joy to those who give. And it ensures that our market shelves and home delivery bags are filled with healthy groceries, that community is nurtured over delicious, nourishing meals, and that a variety of other essential needs are supported through the compassion and skill of our dedicated staff and volunteers.
Read MoreHow did our sabbatical policy come about? As Executive Director Jen Muzia approached ten years of service and contemplated taking time away, she worked with the leadership team to create a policy for all staff to be able to do this. Open to all employees with five years of service, people started dreaming immediately about what time away could mean for them. Just the idea of it: five whole weeks of paid free time! At once!? (The sabbatical itself is four weeks long but per the policy, staff are allowed to add a week of vacation to it. Everyone who has taken a sabbatical thus far has turned it into five weeks.)
Read More"MLK Day has always been described to me as a Day of Service, not a day off."
Tori, a member of the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus (EWMC), shared this powerful sentiment. Ahead of the federal holiday celebrating the renowned civil rights activist and religious leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a team of 40 union electrical workers joined our crew onsite at the food bank to help serve our community.
Read MoreThe Washington State legislative session for 2026 is currently underway. As an even year, the legislative session will be a 60-day short session with an expected end date of March 12th. Lawmakers will be introducing, debating, and amending new laws as well as balancing the budget. (Find out how a bill becomes law here.)
Read MoreHappy holidays to you and your loved ones! May this season be filled with health, happiness, and connection.
At Ballard Food Bank we know that food is a human right AND a powerful vehicle for joy, kinship, and celebration. So we asked folks this month what special foods are warm, nostalgic and/or meaningful to them. We are honored to share the traditions of those who make our Hub for Hope so vibrant.
Read MoreWith the end of the government shutdown in November, SNAP benefit payments resumed. But the threat of hunger for families and individuals relying on SNAP is far from over.
New requirements and changes to the program make it harder for veterans, former foster youth who are aging out of care, and people experiencing homelessness - among others - to get the food they need. And cuts to federal funding will leave states scrambling.