Our mission is to eliminate hunger within our community, in the spirit of neighbor helping neighbor.

Core Philosophies

• Eliminating access barriers
• Prioritizing health
• Prioritizing children
• Rescuing good food from going to waste
• Partnership and collaboration

Eliminating Access Barriers

Because not all people in need can make it to us, we ensure that food resources are available throughout our community. We accomplish this through an extensive network of satellite and mobile food banks, our FORKids school backpack program, and our Summer Lunch program.

Prioritizing Health

We consider fresh, healthy foods to be a necessity, not a luxury. All of our facilities are equipped with freezers and coolers for storage of fresh foods. We prioritize distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables, deli and dairy items, and frozen protein. Our Olympia Food Pantry and all satellite and mobile locations provide both fresh and shelf-stable food.

Prioritizing Children

Kids need healthy meals every day to grow, learn, and thrive. 50% of the individuals we serve are children. In addition to providing our regular service to families with children, we prioritize kids through our FORKids, Summer Lunch, Baby Day, and School Gardens programs.

Rescuing Good Food from Going to Waste

In 2019, we rescued over 1.75 million pounds of wholesome food from going to waste. This includes fresh produce, frozen meat, dairy items, and deli items that local retailers or food distribution centers could not sell. Instead, these foods were given to people in need through our Olympia Food Pantry and network of satellites and partners.

Partnership and Collaboration

In order to strengthen and further our mission of eliminating hunger in our community, we partner closely with emergency food distribution partners inside and outside of Thurston County.

Our Tumwater Warehouse & Distribution Center acts as a hub for emergency food delivery and distribution. We are a Regional Distribution Organization of Food Lifeline, and a member agency of Northwest Harvest. We distribute WSDA commodity foods and other goods to food banks in rural Thurston, Mason, and Lewis counties.

Board of Directors

Contact Information:

PO Box 11549
Olympia WA 98508  
360-352-8597
Boardmember@thurstoncountyfoodbank.org