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Helping Hands tells Sedro‑Woolley council it secured property, expands mobile food services
Summary
Rebecca Scribe of Helping Hands Food Bank told the Sedro‑Woolley City Council that the nonprofit has the deed to a new property, has distributed large quantities of food since 2020, and is planning a $550,000 mobile food‑bank truck and outreach vehicle to serve outlying communities and veterans.
Rebecca Scribe, the director of Helping Hands Food Bank, told the Sedro‑Woolley City Council on March 11 that the organization has finalized a property purchase and is expanding its outreach with new vehicles and programs.
Scribe said Helping Hands received the deed to the property this week and has moved what she described as “25,000,000 pounds of food through that building since 08/01/2020,” a volume she compared visually to “56 semi trucks lined up.” She said the organization raised about $2 million locally in 2025 and received state and county support for earlier operations, including roughly $325,000 in unused Department of Commerce funds that paid for the property and other state grants and assistance for COVID response.
Scribe described several new projects: an outreach vehicle (expected to be available in May) funded through community programs, and a larger, custom mobile food‑bank truck that can operate without a fixed building and will cost about $550,000. She said the mobile truck is being fitted in Indiana and is expected to be ready by August, with a public showing planned for the organization’s September luncheon.
On services, Scribe said Helping Hands is preparing to expand mobile delivery to seniors and to add veteran‑focused transportation and services. She noted that much of the nonprofit’s funding is unrestricted and thus flexible: “That $2,000,000 … we can do what we need to do with it,” she told the council. She also said donated food and grocery‑store rescues remain core sources of supply and that government sources represent a small share of total food volume.
Councilmembers asked whether Helping Hands could absorb seniors displaced if the county’s nutrition program changes. Scribe said the food bank is preparing to expand delivery but cautioned that many federal and county funding streams are restricted and that some program elements (dietitian services, nutrition education) may be infeasible for a food bank to provide without dedicated funding.
Mayor thanked Scribe and the volunteers and highlighted the nonprofit’s role during recent floods and the COVID emergency. Council members and staff praised the organization’s partnerships and encouraged follow‑up conversations to explore regional coordination on senior nutrition and logistics.
Scribe invited council members to tour the facility and asked the city to continue partnership as Helping Hands refines plans for showers, laundry, veteran services and potential on‑site solar installations.
The council did not take formal action on funding during the meeting; Helping Hands will continue planning and coordination with county and regional partners.
