New Volunteer Positions!

Rainier Valley Food Bank has loads of new volunteer positions. Let us know how you would like to get involved! 

Home Delivery Driver

Tues or Thurs, 10am - 12pm

Deliver smiles and healthy food to your homebound neighbors! Must have own car and drivers licence.

More Info

Guest Check-In Volunteer

Sat, 9am - 2pm

Greet food guests as they arrive on Saturdays and enter their info into our MS Access database. Previous data entry or similar experience required. 3 month minimum commitment @ 2x a month. A fast paced, yet very rewarding experience as you great approx 400 food guests throughout the day. 

Columbia City Chow Down Volunteers

July 24th, 4:30-9:30pm

Help with event logistics during the Columbia City Chow Down. Food lovers unite while dining out at some of Columbia City's most fabulous restaurants! All proceeds benefit the Rainier Valley Food Bank.

Dried Fruit Processing

Mon - Thurs, 10am-4pm

Your volunteer time = dried fruit for RVFB! “Be awesome. Help us feed kids.” 

Email ProUseProduce@gmail.com to sign up. 

Location: St. Andrews Church,

111 NE 80th St, Seattle WA 98115

Data Entry

Tues or Thurs, 10am-2pm

Aid in various admin support tasks. Must be highly proficient in MS Suite.

More Info

Outreach Committee

Help RVFB develop relationships with faith communities and schools.

Flexible hours - remote work. 

Development Committee Member

Participate in strategic planning efforts to build a sustainable development platform. Seeking individuals with experience in fundraising and/or development, strong verbal and written skills and a high level of dependability and follow-through. 

More Info

“Urban Agriculture” Intern

16-24 hours, weekly

Support current urban agriculture partnerships as well as develop new opportunities. Current partnerships include: ProUse Produce, City Fruit, Just Garden Project, Seattle Community Farm, Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands. Learn about all these awesome programs as you liaise with RVFB!

More Info 

Seattle Community Farm Work Parties

Through November

Tues 9am – 1pm, Thurs 5 – 8pm, & Sat 10am – 2pm 

Food grown at the Seattle Community Farm will be shared with RVFB. In April & May we received 438 lbs of fresh greens!

PCC Packing Party

July 17th, 7pm - 8:30pm

Help package bulk foods donated from PCC Seward Park. Think beans, rice and oats, oh my!

More Info

Seattle Marathon Partner

Nov 23 - 25

Are you a runner? Join "Team Feed" on Crowdrise and raise funds while you run for RVFB! Folks are also needed to work info tables and water stations.

Food Drive Volunteer

Wed or Sat, 9am - 2pm

Pass out fliers and collect food at neighboring grocery stores. RVFB relies heavily on weekly food drives to feed your hungry neighbors!

Sign up today

Growing @ Home for RVFB with Pallets

Michael Pollan says that one of the biggest environmental impacts you can make is to grow just a small portion of your own food at home. Being passionate about fair food access and decreasing food waste, I was inspired by the idea of using up-cycled pallets to grow veggies in your yard. In our urban communities people often don't have the space or good soil quality to grow veggies in their yard. Pallet gardens are an indigenous solution! RVFB always has an abundance of free pallets, too. 

Since I am only growing for two people at home, I can donate a couple of rows to my food bank - bonus! I planted this lettuce using Lettuce Link seeds and growing guide about a month ago. These puppies will be ready for the picking in a couple weeks - sun willing!

Drop by RVFB any Tues-Sat, 7am-2:30pm and grab a pallet.

A lot is happening tomorrow!

Volunteers will build raised garden beds to benefit RVFB
Full Life Care , Just Garden Project & Whole Foods join forces for Spring Into Bed to build 6 raised garden beds-- 3 of which will sprout leafy greens to be distributed at the food bank. Volunteer or just drop in and check it out!

10AM - 2PM: Volunteers arrive at Full Life Care, 4712 35th Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98118. After we construct the raised beds, we will plant the apple trees and raspberry bushes.

3PM - 6PM: After Party at Columbia Park. It's not just our gardens bed we're celebrating!  Spring Into Bed build gardens all over Seattle on May 12th! Join us after all the hard work has been done! There will be good food, music and stories celebrating the positive changes and our thriving local food system. Music, Games, Community Gardening information and more.

Questions? Email elise@rvfb.org

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Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive

Tell your neighbors! This cool program benefits RVFB, and it's happening this Saturday! Watch for the blue bag in your mail box, fill it up with non-perishables on Friday night, and see it get picked up on Saturday morning. Many thanks to the National Association of Letter Carriers for their hard work! More Info. 
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Food Drive @ QFC on Rainier and McClellan, 10am - 2pm

Soak up some of this new-found sunshine while supplying your food bank with non-perishables. During this time of the year, our non-perishable donations slow to a trickle. Let's rectify that, shall we? Tomorrow! Saturday, May 12th. Arrive at RVFB @ 9am for an orientation or just show up at the QFC on Rainier & McClellan @ 10am! 


Not available tomorrow? We hold food drives every Wednesday & Saturday. Sign-up Here and bring your friends! 

Food Drives can integrate nicely with business, faith group or school events. RVFB will drop off and pick up donation bins and supplies anywhere in the Rainier Valley. Donation bins can also "live" at your business or community organization-- we will pick up when they are full. Email elise@rvfb.org to arrange! 

Check out or latest newsletter

Our Spring newsletter hit mailboxes this April! To join our mailing list, email info@rvfb.org. We promise not to waste paper.

Check out our 2011 Annual Report

As you can see, we were quite busy last year ...

Today's the day to GIVE BIG!

Your money is matched through The Seattle Foundation.

Today, every dollar you donate through The Seattle Foundation will be matched by a pool of sponsors, including some of the region's most generous givers. Spring is the time of year when food banks across the country see a dip in donations. There's no better time to help us and your community.  Give here!

And we'd like to give back -- here is a great recipe for a lasagna that will feed a BIG group.  Enjoy!

Easy Crock Pot Lasagna
Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 12 ounces cottage cheese (we like 2%)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese or 1/2 cup asiago cheese
• 12 ounces lasagna noodles, uncooked
• 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef, onion and garlic in frypan.
2. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt and oregano.
3. Cook long enough to get it warm.
4. Spoon a layer of meat sauce onto the bottom of the slow cooker.
5. Add a double layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (break to fit) and top with cheeses.
6. Repeat with sauce, noodles and cheeses until all are used up.
7. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

Happy 5.1.91!

Rainier Valley Food Bank first opened its doors as "Northwest Community Services" on May 1st, 1991. Since our humble beginnings as an all volunteer-run grassroots food pantry serving 50 to 100 households a month, we have come a loooong way, baby! 


Now one of the busiest food banks in Seattle, we changed our name to Rainier Valley Food Bank in 2008.  This year marks our 21st birthday. We're all grown up now, and to celebrate, we're asking our friends for a birthday present: help us raise $5,191 throughout the month of May so we can keep on providing healthy food for our hungry neighbors. 


Your support goes far toward feeding the nearly 11,000 people who depend on us every month: for every dollar you give, we can distribute $12 worth of food. And here's some bonus news: on Wednesday, May 2nd, every dollar you donate will be stretched even farther during The Seattle Foundation's GiveBIG day. Just think of what a difference your birthday gift to RVFB will make -- especially when matched by The Seattle Foundation -- for the thousands of families who depend on us to put food on their tables.


This is a tremendous opportunity to do something great for your neighbors -- and your community.  Plus: giving is good for you!  You know it feels good and you know you want to help, so please don't hesitate. Wish us a "Happy 5.1.91!" and on Wednesday May 2nd, give BIG to Rainier Valley Food Bank. Just follow this link, and you'll be a neighborhood hero.  Help us continue to be a strong resource for Rainier Valley!