Moving day for the Ballard Food Bank

For more than seven months, the Ballard Food Bank has been preparing for this day. Today, the non-profit moves from their location on 24th Ave NW to a much larger space at 5130 Leary Ave NW.

The new location of the Ballard Food Bank on Leary Ave NW.

The Ballard Food Bank was able to get into this space, despite the down economy, thanks to the community, Nancy McKinney, the executive director of the Ballard Food Bank tells us. Two-thirds of the tenant improvements to the building were in-kind donations of labor and material.

Just inside the front door of the new Ballard Food Bank.

“When you go into our new building the paint job, we paid 1/3 of what it would normally cost, the granite counters were donated, kitchen cabinets were donated, Limback Lumber donated nearly $4,000 worth of raw wood materials. The walk in cooler and freezer we got at cost, we wrote a grant to a local foundation that paid for almost half of it,” McKinney tells us, “The story just goes on and on.”

Artwork hanging above the shopping area of the Ballard Food Bank.

“Not only do we have efficient space but we have some interesting things to look at that are colorful,” McKinney says. The artwork that you see in the new space was donated by local artists. “The building is just fun and colorful and alive!”

Volunteers unloading food at the new location.

This morning, Ballard High School football players and community volunteers donated their time to pack up the old space, unload at the new space and sort the food. Later in the day a personal trainer group called BodyDoc will do some heavy lifting. “We just feel really embraced by the community,” McKinney says.

The food bank will not skip a beat because of the move. They’ll be open on Tuesday for their next scheduled distribution day.

Geeky Swedes

The founders of My Ballard

21 thoughts to “Moving day for the Ballard Food Bank”

  1. They need to arrange for some evening or Weekend donation times during the summer. They are only open for donating food between 9am and 3pm a couple days per week. Our garden is over flowing with veggies and fruit and we really want to donate it toa local food bank. However, they do not allow perishables at the drop offs in the local grocery stores. So our only option is to take it straight to the bank.

    Are there any other food banks who accept donations during weekends or evenings?

  2. Good for Ballard Food Bank. It’s a better space and location. Nice to see so much community effort in making this place work out well for all involved.

    And to all you misanthropic naysayers and elitist creeps who incessantly complain about the food bank: You should just move to the boonies, where you don’t have to ever see or interact with other human beings.

  3. To Fred: As a volunteer at the foodbank, not everyone is a hobo or homeless. We provide for families and working poor. How arrogant and smug of you to post such a comment.
    I can only think that one day you may end up having to use a great service the Ballard Food Bank provides.

  4. This is such great news! I accidently discovered its new location when I was driving by the night before last and was pleasantly surprised to see how big the new location will be and how nice it looks. It was also heartening to see how much community support the Food Bank has received in their move to their new location.

    +1 hawks74

  5. I receive food from the food bank and thank all who donate to it. I have a large family and it has been a godsend to our family to be able to provide meals to my family.

    Thanks to all who helped in the move.

  6. “not everyone is a hobo ”

    Enough are, so I’m happy they won’t be staggering past my house any more for their free food….I mean, god forbid the bums be forced to use their money on anything other than malt liquor and smokes thanks to the fb enablers.

    Good riddance.

  7. I am preparing to go to the Foodbank for the first time. Its kind of scary, I dont really know much about how, what, etc.. but Fred, I sure hope your life is perfect like mine was.. until a knee surgery (that went wrong) kicked the savings/401K out from under my family leaving me unable to work for nearly two years. It's unreal to tell your ten year old son that he cant have another piece of chicken or he wont have anything for lunch the next day, that is when there is meant. Its been ramen, eggs, noodles.. anything I can buy. I had a great job, 6 figure savings.. life was great. I feel so sad when I read stuff like you wrote. I am not a bum.. I would be ready to work in 5 minutes if called. You have a pretty small mind, you don't need to be so ugly.

  8. To Fred: I sincerely hope you don't end up sick and unable to work with the only comfort you have is any method available to temporarily forget the nightmare that has become your life. I hope you don’t have to experience the rejection of everyone because no one “see’s” your illness. And if you finally get some medical help, the willingness of the medical community to tell you it’s all in your head “here just take another pill” and it will magically be all better. I hope the loneliness caused by the rejection of community, and family, because they don’t understand that most of the “homeless” people they see CAN’T work because they are sick, does not become “your” nightmare. I hope you don’t have to experience being summarily rejected as valueless by other people like you Fred who apparently have not introduced the concept of “compassion and tolerance” into their lives. I’ll bet Fred values his individuality a great deal, just so long as he does not meet anyone different then himself.

  9. This article stated how much of the labor and materials were donated by local businesses. Who were these companies? If we knew their names we could say “thank you”!

  10. denizon- A local artist put together a beautiful donor wall honoring all those who donated thier time, talent and material to make the Ballard Food Bank project happen. Stop in and take a look.

  11. I am impressed on how much progress has been made on the BFB. My hat goes off to those involved, I always loved moveing to that community, and volunteering for such a good cause builds a persons self asteem. Nancy Mckinney has made a good thing out of a bad situation. Always think positive never negative.

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