The Power of Food

Today’s post was contributed by Rob Luzader, a RVFB supporter.

Why Rainier Valley Food Bank? Thousands of charities are worthy of my hard earned money. In this day and age, it’s easy to gravitate to the cause of the moment. In the past, examples for me were Livestrong (rallying around a courageous, charismatic hero to defy the odds and defeat cancer) or Mercy Corps in the wake of Katrina, the Haitian earthquake or the tsunami in Japan (feeling the need to contribute due to the scale of the disasters, unimaginable human suffering and the sensational coverage surrounding these events). While I continue to believe in the necessity of these organizations, I have made a fundamental shift in the nature of my giving. The majority of my money for charity now goes to the Rainier Valley Food Bank (RVFB). Let me explain why.

I am pragmatic. Therefore, I am attracted to the fact that one of my donated dollars equals $12 of distributed food. The resourcefulness and efficiency of RVFB impresses me. I prefer my money be used by an independent, agile nonprofit that can control the quality of the food it distributes. RVFB has the ability to influence and educate people about food and nutrition at a local, personal level, which is something we as a community should support. I think the food bank provides a sustainable model for providing nutritious food to people in need.
I am also empathetic to the plight of people that find themselves hungry or struggling to feed themselves. Hunger is a pervasive and enduring problem in our community and undermines its ability to prosper. “Food insecurity” sounds like an intimidating term but there is no doubt families are struggling to feed themselves just one meal a day.

I am fortunate. I have never had to worry about my next meal and access to quality food. I have a positive relationship with the food I grow, purchase, cook and consume. It is essential to my happiness, productivity and wellness. I want each and every hungry or malnourished adult and child to have the opportunity to experience the power of food. RVFB has begun to connect people to their food. Hopefully this process continues to evolve.

Food matters. It weaves its way through our lives and community in more ways than we realize. RVFB is an essential part of building a strong, vibrant community where people can concentrate on work and school rather than the viability of their next meal. It is an essential organization providing part of the solution to a pervasive problem in our community. It is doing it in a way the focuses on our relationship with food and the quality of food. It is doing it with a sense of responsibility and community involvement.

Why do you give to RVFB? Share your comments below.

Kids Raising Funds for RVFB … One Coin at a Time

You know what they say about spare change: Every penny counts.

That's what we're counting on as we challenge kids to spend the next few months collecting coins for Rainier Valley Food Bank. All the pennies and nickels, dimes and quarters — bills and checks, too — that kids collect will add up fast and help us stock our shelves with healthy food.

We handed out our first batch of coin collection cans at our 5th annual holiday cookie decorating party. We have some cans leftover, so if you want one for your kid(s), stop by the food bank anytime Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. and we'll hook you up. 

Click here for our Every Penny Counts coin drive instructions.  

Prizes!

Now for the fun part … we're awarding some super-cool prizes to the top three fundraisers, whoever turns in the most moolah by 5 p.m. on Valentine's Day:

1st prize: Group cooking class!

Seattle Tilth's Rainier Valley Eats program will treat you and up to 15 of your friends to your very own cooking class! Just tell them what kind of food you like and they'll teach you some easy, healthy recipes.
Where: Light for Life Church kitchen (3820 S. Ferdinand St.)
When: Whatever date/time works for you and Rainier Valley Eats staff

2nd prize: Gardening books and supplies
Your Farm in the City: An Urban Dweller’s Guide to Growing Food and Raising Animals by Lisa Taylor and the gardeners of Seattle Tilth
The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide by Carl Elliott and Rob Peterson
Kid's gardening kit

3rd prize: Books about food & cooking
How Did That Get In My Lunch Box? The Story of Food by Chris Butterworth
Kids' Kitchen: 40 Fun and Healthy Recipes to Make and Share by Fiona Bird

We'll announce the winners in this blog (and on Facebook) as soon as possible after Valentine's Day.

Any questions, email RVFB's Elise Cope at elise@rvfb.org, or call 206-723-4105.

Alrighty ... good luck, kiddos! 

(And give what you can, grown-ups!)

Fall Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer through the holidays

Volunteering changes your life and the lives of those around you. Take some time to get involved with your community and meet people that maybe you wouldn't have otherwise! In the heart of one of the nations most diverse zip codes, there's no short of cultural exchange and learning at RVFB. Email volunteer@rvfb.org to sign up for any of the following positions.  

Cookie Party Event Volunteer

November 12th, 4:45pm - 8:00pm

Volunteer for our 5th annual Holiday Cookie Decorating Party! Event volunteers will aid in set up, production and clean-up. Get your frosting on! Email volunteer@rvfb.org to sign up.

Poster Hanging

October 30th - Saturday November 3rd

Help us plaster the city with Cookie Decorating posters! Volunteers can pick up posters at the food bank anytime Tues - Saturday, 8am-2pm. All posters need to be hung within week of October 30th. The following neighborhoods are still available:
- Capitol Hill
- Central District
- Beacon Hill

PCC Packing Party

November 20th, 7pm - 8:30pm

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

More Info.

Seattle Marathon Water Station Volunteers (30 volunteers needed!) 

Sunday November 25th, 10:30am – 2:30pm, Leschi NeighborhoodDawn our new RVFB volunteer t-shirts while handing out water to runners and help them through the course. RVFB has a crew of runners/walkers raising money for us this year called Team Feed. They have raised nearly $2,000 so far. Help us show our support! Great family/group volunteer opportunity. 

Database Support

Tuesdays and Fridays, 11am-2pm (flexible times)

Help us keep our records up to date with weekly data entry. Basic proficiency in MS Excel required. 

Weekly Food Bank Volunteer Positions

Tues 11am-3pm:  Food processing and cleaning warehouse.
Wed 8am-3pm:  Help distribute food to 400 guests.
Thurs 7:30am-11am:  Help prepare 150 food bags for home delivery.

Friday 12pm-3pm:  Food processing and cleaning warehouse.
Saturday 8am-3pm:  Help distribute food to 400 guests.

All volunteers for the above positions must attend an orientation prior to start. Orientations held at the food bank every Saturday at noon. Meet at the tree in front of building.

Home Delivery Driver

Tues or Thurs, 9am - 1pm (flexible time)

RVFB delivers 130 grocery bags to homebound clients each week. We need new volunteers to help drive and deliver! Must have own car and drivers licence. Email volunteer@rvfb.org to sign up. 

Group Volunteer Opportunities

Weekly, Tuesday - Saturday

Get your business, faith group, school or friends involved! 

Groups of up to 30 can be accommodated with customized volunteer opportunities.  

Email volunteer@rvfb.org to sign up. 

Dried Fruit Processing

Mon - Thurs, 10am-4pm

Your volunteer time with ProUse Produce = dried fruit for RVFB ! “Be awesome. Help us feed kids.”  Location: St. Andrews Church,111 NE 80th St, Seattle WA 98115. Email ProUseProduce@gmail.com to sign up.

Cookies! What better way to start the season of giving?

My son Tyler: not so much

Sylvia Gillespie: one serious cookie decorator

Cookie decorating has never been a big thing in my family. Every year when the holidays roll around, it's always been something we mean to do but never seem to squeeze in.  

Last year, we finally did it — elbow to merry elbow with dozens of other families at Geraldine's Counter, which has hosted Rainier Valley Food Bank's annual holiday cooking decorating party every year since it started back in 2008.

We're going again this year, and my kids can't wait to get their hands on those fun tubes of frosting and see how many sprinkles they can get to stick to their cookies. (With a 2- and 4-year-old captaining the cookie-decorating ship at our table, we surely ended the night with more sprinkles on the floor than our cookies, but no one held it against us.)

Kate Hinley has taken her family every year.

"The folks at Geraldine's are warm and welcoming, the room is filled with good cheer, the food is delicious, and the kids are thrilled to be able to make fabulous cookie creations and eat the results. It is a great way to kick off the holiday season by supporting such a good cause."

As delightful as the cookie decorating can be, what means the most to me as a parent and RVFB volunteer is that the restaurant is filled with families who are committed to helping those in need.

Geraldine's co-owner Stacey Hettinger

Each month, Rainier Valley Food Bank is a lifeline for about 11,000 of our hungry neighbors. The food bank could not do what they do without all the donations of food and funds that they get from this generous community.

Geraldine's is one of the food bank's biggest supporters. They donate the space for the cookie party, dinner for everyone, their staff's time, and they spend November and December seeing which staffer can collect the most donations for RVFB.

Over the past four years, Geraldine's staff and proceeds from the cookie party have raised more than $34,000 for RVFB. Talk about a gift!

"It's important for people to be taken care of, to have food — the basics," Geraldine's co-owner Stacey Hettinger says k.

RVFB's 5th Annual Holiday Cookie Decorating Party is on Monday, Nov. 12 at 5 p.m. at Geraldine's. Tickets are $25 per person. Buy yours today — they sell out fast!

A Dear Friend’s Wish Sustains RVFB

In the weeks since we lost a treasured friend this summer, we have been humbled by the outpouring of generosity Patrice Benson’s loved ones have given to Rainier Valley Food Bank.

One of Patrice’s final wishes, as she waged a fiercely courageous but all-too-brief battle with cancer, was for people to donate to the food bank rather than sending her family flowers after she died.

Since she passed away on July 25, we’ve received more than $11,400 in Patrice’s memory. Those contributions will help us feed thousands of our neighbors at a time when hunger in our community is on the rise.

Patrice was deeply involved with so many organizations — the Puget Sound Mycology Society, the Daniel Stuntz Foundation, Les Dames d'Escoffier, the Polish Cultural Center to name a few. So we are that much more touched that she asked the legions of people who loved her to support Rainier Valley Food Bank.

"It fit who she was: feeding, giving, taking care of people, taking care of community," said Jean Zatochill, RVFB board member and Patrice’s best friend.

We are so thankful to have known Patrice, and that her family — Dr. Edward Benson, her husband; daughters Katie and Jill, who volunteers for RVFB and serves on our development committee — supported her generous wish.

Read more about Patrice in Seattle Times’ obituary and in this 2008 Times story, “Mushroom foragers love the thrill of the hunt.”

If you’d like to give in Patrice's memory, you can donate online at rvfb.org, or mail a check to 4205 Rainier Ave S., Seattle, WA 98118.

How to Forage for Wild Edibles

RVFB recently hosted a workshop on Gathering Wild Edibles, hosted by Roger and Linda Urbaniak. Roger and Linda are self proclaimed "weirdos" — much of their diet is comprised of foraged bounty. What some consider "weeds" may be dinner for others! Common Seattle backyard plants such as purslane, lambsquaters and fireweed may even give you a hearty dose of some vitamins you might lack, such as Omega 3's and B's. For those of you that missed last week's session, we hope to host another in the Spring. We see workshops like this as a great way to empower our community around food. These sessions are free and open to the public. 

There is actually quite a bit that can be foraged in the urban landscape! You don't need to drive out to the I-90 corridor in pursuit. Vacant lots, your back yard, even alley ways can be your dinner's treasure cove. Some plants have deeper roots than others; as such, the urban forager should consider this when harvesting plants that are close to buildings. Purslane for example, has very shallow roots so is less likely to pull in contaminant seepage in an urban environment. Avoid harvesting near roadways, as run-off toxins from the road are no good in your salad or stir fry. Also avoid plants with any sort of deformity — this can be a sign of weed-killing chemicals. 

Below are a few plants that you can forage for yourself! According to Roger and Linda, these do not have any poisonous lookalikes — however you should always practice caution when foraging by cross referencing with other sources. Click on the images below to link to even more sources on foraging wild edibles.


Purslane - Portulaca oleracea
Year round



With a slightly sour and salty taste, purslane is an extremely robust plant and can be found everywhere in the US. In the Northwest, look for yellow flowers in August. The stems have a redish tint and the leaves are meaty and succulent. Research indicates that purslane boasts more alpha-linolenic acid than any other leafy plant source! Alpha-linolenic acid is a kind of omega-3 fatty acid found in plants, similar to omega-3 fatty acids found in fish.

From SurvivalFood.com: "Both the stems and flower buds are edible. Use a clean and sharp knife to trim the stems near the roots. Fresh, raw leaves make an excellent contribution to salads or juice. Try cutting purslane into small bites and mixing it with rice or adorning soups." 



Lambsquarters - Chenopodium album
Year round


Excellent cooked or raw, lambsquarters can be found coming up through urban cracks everywhere. The leaves have a slightly dusted appearance. The leaves are what you want to eat and are extremely nutritious — anything you do with spinach can be done with lambsquarters leaves.

From GreenSmoothiesBlog.com: "You can find lambsquarters all over America and in many different habitats from rich farm soils to empty lots in desert towns. It tends to grow in  disturbed soils, close to humans rather than in remote places."


Asparagus - Asparagus officinalis
Late March to May


Wild asparagus tastes just the same as store bought - perhaps even better! Practice reverence when picking this plant as one single plant can live for over 100 years! In fact, according to Linda Urbaniak, there are still to this day productive asparagus plants at Monticello, Virginia, originally planted by Thomas Jefferson himself. In the fall, asparagus blooms bright yellow flowers. It's best to stop picking by the end of June. The stalks tend to hide amid it's feathery fauna, so peer deep!

From Bastyr University: "You can find asparagus growing wild in the moist lowlands of Eastern Washington. Essentially identical to the asparagus you will find in the grocery store, wild asparagus is often smaller. Toss a few spears with olive oil and garlic and cook on the grill for a nutritious side dish packed with potassium and folic acid."

Run Seattle Marathon for RVFB!

Join TEAM FEED - Seattle Marathon - for Rainier Valley Food Bank

For the first time ever, Seattle Marathon is offering free registration for anyone who raises at least $300 for Rainier Valley Food Bank! Join our Team Feed crew, and run the full or half marathon on Nov. 25 for a great cause! Every dollar you raise will help us feed 11,000 people each month.

How to Join

• Follow this link: Team Feed and click on the Join The Team button. In seconds, you'll have your own fundraising page for Rainier Valley Food Bank!
• Share it with all of your friends and family and ask them to donate to your page. 
• Once you hit $300, email us at volunteer@rvfb.org and we'll give you a registration code that you can use to enter the 2012 Full or Half Marathon for free! 
• The deadline: You have to raise the money by November 11 to get the subsidized registration. (Sorry for being so mean about it.)

Volunteers Needed

We also need volunteers on race day.

• 15 water station volunteers
• 15 course marshal volunteers
• 2 volunteers to help escort RVFB marathon participants to the finish line

Discounted Registration
If you're not able to hit the $300 free-registration goal, you can still get a decent discount: $70 to register for the half marathon or $80 for the full marathon. That's 30-40% off the final registration rates!

EMAIL Elise@rvfb.org to get involved! 

Summer Volunteer Positions @ Rainier Valley Food Bank

Did you know you get "life points" for volunteering?! Do-Gooders are contagious!
Share your experience or just help us spread the word. RVFB Facebook Page. 

Weekly Food Bank Volunteer Positions

Tues 11am-3pm:  Food processing and cleaning warehouse.
Wed 8am-3pm:  Help distribute food to 400 guests.
Thurs 7:30am-11am:  Help prepare 150 food bags for home delivery.

Friday 12pm-3pm:  Food processing and cleaning warehouse.
Saturday 8am-3pm:  Help distribute food to 400 guests.

Email volunteer@rvfb.org to sign up. 

Seattle 10k Water Station Volunteers

Sat August 25th, 9am - 2pm  More Info.

Represent the food bank at this year's 10k! Volunteers will be working Water Station #3 mile 6. This station is located on Mercer St. Between 3rd Ave & 4th Ave. Volunteers can anticipate working from about 7am-11am on Saturday, August 25. RVFB is an official charity partner this year and is hosting a water station for runners. Are you a runner? Join "Team Feed" on Crowdrise and raise funds while you run for RVFB!  Email volunteer@rvfb.org to sign up. 

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. 

Group Volunteer Opportunities

Weekly, Tuesday - Saturday

Get your business, faith group, school or friends involved! 

Groups of up to 30 can be accommodated with customized volunteer opportunities.  

Email volunteer@rvfb.org to sign up. 

Dried Fruit Processing

Mon - Thurs, 10am-4pm

Your volunteer time = dried fruit for RVFB! “Be awesome. Help us feed kids.” Location: St. Andrews Church,111 NE 80th St, Seattle WA 98115Email ProUseProduce@gmail.com to sign up.

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. Flexible Schedule. 

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! Just show up, anytime listed above!

PCC Packing Party

September 18th, 7pm - 8:30pm

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

More Info. Email volunteer@rvfb.org to sign up. 

Thanks, Chow Down restaurants, for supporting RVFB!

Photo - Kelly O, The Stranger


We love our neighborhood’s restaurants -- not just because they serve up such a wide variety of terrifically delicious food. They’re great supporters of the work we do day in and day out to feed our hungry neighbors. Fifteen restaurants are participating in our second annual Columbia City Chow Down from 5 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, July 24. Here’s what a few of them  say about why they’re taking part, and why they support Rainier Valley Food Bank.


ʺI love how it brings the businesses together to strengthen and support the community.ʺ
–  Leanne Jones-Hauser, Jones Barbecue


"Here at Rookies, we believe that contributing to a community is the best way to give back. The Rainier Valley Food Bank is an organization that exemplifies positive change in South Seattle, and one that we are very excited to support."
– Whitney Stovall, Rookies Sports Bar and Grill


“I like to help everybody else just like the food bank is doing.ʺ 
–  Chef Jacques Saar, Afrikando Banadir 

Buy your “passport” for this culinary tour of Columbia City ($50 per person) before they sell out! All proceeds benefit the food bank.

For more details:
Check out Chow Down’s Facebook page
Visit RVFB’s Facebook page
Follow the food bank on Twitter

Puerto Rican comfort food at El Pilon!
1 of 15 fabulous food bites during Columbia City Chow Down- A culinary tour of Columbia City's fabulous restaurants! Tuesday, July 24 from 5 to 9 pm


"For our 'bite' we have selected our 'Empanadillas' and also our 'Tostones' with shrimp sauce. Our 'Empanadillas' are some lightly fried tasty flour turnover pockets stuffed with a choice of cheese, saucy chicken or saucy beef.  The 'Tostones' are smashed slices of plantain cooked then re-fried, covered with a coat of garlic and olive oil dressing, served with shrimp in a red sauce on the side." 


More Info on other restaurants during Chow Down
Seattle Weekly Food Blog review
The Stranger Review

Sit, Eat, Repeat!

Back by popular demand … the 2nd annual 
Columbia City Chow Down
Tuesday, July 24th
5 to 9 pm

Support our great cause while taking a fun-filled
culinary tour of Columbia City's fabulous restaurants!  

Columbia City boasts some of Seattle's newest,
hottest food spots, as recently reported in
the New York Times!

Buy your “passport” ($50 per person),
bring your friends, and prepare to sample
scrumptious bites from:

Afrikando Banadir
Bananas Grill
El Pilón
Empire Espresso
Full Tilt Ice Cream
Geraldine’s Counter
Island Soul Restaurant
Jones Barbeque
La Teranga
Lottie’s Lounge
Rookies Sports Bar & Grill
The Spice Room
St. Dames Café
Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria
Wabi-Sabi Sushi & Restaurant

100% of the proceeds go to Rainier Valley Food Bank!
Purchase Passports to attend. 
Thank you for supporting us!

Orca School Rocks!

Watch out Rainier Valley - we've got some serious do-gooders, movers and shakers on our hands! RVFB staff and volunteers just got back from Orca K-8 School and we are floored by how much food they have raised! This morning at 11am students ceremoniously marched around the school to deliver 500 cans and non perishables to RVFB. Under the banner of the school program, “ Kid A Can A Month: Quest for 5,000 ”, nearly 500 participants have collected over 5,000 cans in addition to raising over a $1,000 and harvesting 200 pounds of fresh produce-grown in their garden and pea patch. This is by far the most food any school has ever collected for the food bank!

Huge thanks to Dave Couture, of room 201 at Orca for coordinating this effort!

www.orcapta.org.

 Orca students in food drop procession

Lots of high fives as we chant "Orca School Rocks!"

Your CAN counts!

Food Drive Volunteers Andrew, Ray & Yvonne at PCC

Food Drives @ PCC Natural Food Market  on 6/16 & 6/23

Volunteers will be outside PCC - Seward Park from 10am-3pm, Saturday June 16th & 23rd collecting non-perishables. We rely heavily on food drives to keep our non-perishable shelves full, year round. Trust us - your can counts! We are always looking for volunteers to join too!

Types of Food RVFB Collects:

All food collected during food drives should be non-perishable. Our goal is to provide healthy food to our clients including protein and vegetables. We are most in need of high-protein, nutritious foods:

• Canned chicken, tuna and salmon

• Beef stew, meat soups

• Hearty soups

• Canned vegetables and fruits

• Dry or canned beans (kidney, pinto, green, yellow, refried or black beans)

• Peanut butter

• Pasta

• Rice

• Pancake or baking mixes

• Cereal and oatmeal

• Granola bars or energy bars

• Ensure or other nutritional supplement drinks

• Baby food and formula

Due to health code requirements, during food drives we are unable to accept:

• Damaged or unlabeled cans

• Perishable items

• Homemade items

• Non-commercial canned or packaged items

• Open or used items

Sam's Coconut Cornbread!

Sam Osborne, RVFB Executive Director, bestows his wow-worthy recipe! This will surely make nice with your neighbors!
Ingredients:  
¾ Cup Fine Yellow Cornmeal
¼ Cup Coarse Yellow Cornmeal (Polenta or Grits)
1 Cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
¼ Cup Sugar
¼ Cup Shredded Coconut
1 Tbs Double-action Baking Powder
1 tsp Fine Sea Salt
1 Egg
1 Cup Buttermilk
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Tbs Unsalted Butter

Instructions: 
1.       Preheat oven to 400F.
2.       Combine all dry ingredients in large mixing bowl using wire whisk.
3.       Beat egg lightly in smaller mixing bowl. Add buttermilk and oil, and whisk to combine.
4.       Place butter in center of cast iron skillet or 8x8 baking pan, and place in hot oven to melt butter (a couple of minutes).  Remove pan from oven and swirl to coat with butter.
5.       Pour buttermilk mixture into dry mixture, and combine thoroughly using wire whisk or wooden spoon.
6.       Using a rubber spatula, scrape cornbread batter into hot pan, and place in oven.
7.       Bake at 400 for 23 – 25 minutes. Remove from oven, invert onto cutting board, slice and serve warm.

Note: For a real Southern treat, crumble a cool slice of cornbread into a mug of cold buttermilk. Add sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and hot sauce (I prefer Frank’s Red Hot) to taste, and enjoy with a spoon. Breakfast of champions!

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