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Tenino Community Service Center seeks zoning fix, grants to expand cold‑storage as demand soars
Summary
Community Service Center leaders told the council the food bank is 'busting at the seams' after a surge in demand and requested zoning corrections and staff help to qualify for state and federal grants to expand the cold storage facility and adjacent shop.
Representatives of the Tenino Community Service Center told the City Council on Oct. 22 that client demand has grown sharply and the center needs more storage and capacity to meet current need.
Pat Heller, who gave a history of the center, said the organization has expanded services since 2006 and that one month’s client count in recent September was described in the meeting as 5,384 individuals. Council and staff acknowledged the warehouse was built with a county grant and said the building’s current zoning (recorded as residential in error) must be corrected so the center can apply for grants to expand or to purchase the facility.
The council heard that the center currently provides multiple weekly food programs, delivers groceries to homebound residents and serves seniors at a Rainier site; speakers described daily drive‑up volumes that strain current freezer and staging space. The presenters asked staff to prioritize planning‑commission review of needed map corrections and zoning changes so grant applications can move forward.
George Sharp, rural program manager for the Thurston Economic Development Council, said the EDC has provided nearly $40,000 to build the food bank’s capacity and will help the center prepare a 1/3/5‑year strategic plan and identify future funding sources. "We'll be asking stakeholders what they need from this community," Sharp said, adding that the EDC will roll out planning results in January.
The council expressed support and asked staff to work with the center and the planning commission to clear zoning issues and to return grant‑readiness options to the council. The mayor and staff said they would seek to expedite the planning agenda to allow the center to apply for available state and federal funding next cycle.
Next steps: staff to add zoning correction to the planning‑commission agenda, EDC and center to finalize strategic planning schedule, and council to consider sale/transfer terms if the center’s acquisition request formally arrives.
