Food Bank Corner

Published 1:30 am Thursday, June 25, 2026

By Warren Johnson

Food Bank President

Welcome to this new weekly column keeping our community informed about what’s happening at the Forks Community Food Bank. We have been busy over the past few weeks as we welcome a new group of volunteers while continuing to work alongside many of our longtime volunteers. We are currently in a transition period as we search for a new manager to oversee food bank operations.

Under the direction of Executive Director Pat Soderlind, we have re-established relationships with other food banks in our area, building strong partnerships that have resulted in increased access to fresh produce and other fresh food products, as well as timely deliveries from our partner food banks.

Forks Outfitters has been a great partner, helping us keep our food purchasing local by providing cost-effective products and excellent communication. Pat has also been working closely with Food Lifeline and Northwest Harvest, two of our major food suppliers, along with several local organizations and agencies that support the food bank. Most importantly, our volunteers are the boots on the ground who make everything run smoothly. We have also partnered with the Hospital Foundation to maintain four garden beds at the community garden, where we are growing fresh produce for our clients.

On June 2, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints delivered 20 tons of food to the Forks Community Food Bank for distribution throughout the West End. Participating food banks included New Hope Clallam Bay, Neah Bay Food Bank, Hoh Food Bank, Queets Food Bank, and Forks Community Food Bank. Elder Pitt of Clallam Bay, working with Pat Soderlind, coordinated the quantities each food bank would receive.

On June 3, President Warren Johnson, John Vigil on the forklift, and James from the Forks Community Food Bank joined a crew from the church that included Elder Peterson, Elder Ellison, Elder Morris, Elder Jex, Elder Pitt, who oversaw distribution, Sister Pitt, Neal Rigby, Dick Long, Robert Beck, and Sara Beck. Together, they distributed the food to the participating food banks as they arrived to pick up their allocations.

In addition to serving as a distribution center for West End food banks, the Forks Community Food Bank processes and distributes more than 5,000 pounds of food each week to more than 214 clients, and that number continues to grow.

The food bank is open Tuesdays from 3 to 5 p.m. and Thursdays from noon to 5 p.m. We are located at 181 Bogachiel Way in Forks. To learn more or make a donation, visit https://www.forkscfb.org.

We are always looking for volunteers and are continually in need of plastic grocery bags for food distribution. Thank you to everyone who helps us serve our community.