4 minute read
Stephanie Norton-Bredl, New Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank Executive
My name is Stephanie Norton-Bredl, and I am the Executive Director of Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank. I joined the team in March of 2023 after nearly 20 years of non-profit management with the YMCA, most recently as the Executive Director of the Snoqualmie Valley YMCA. Much of my prior work was in developing community partnerships and assisting families in accessing much-needed wellness and education programs. When I’m not working, I enjoy hiking, biking, running, and spending time with my family, especially my two little granddaughters.
I was drawn to the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank because the vision of a connected, supportive community where everyone has an opportunity to thrive as this vision aligns with my hopes and dreams for our community. I feel honored to collaborate with an amazing team of service-oriented staff and volunteers and am immensely thankful to our partners and supporters. Together we work to fulfill our mission of uniting our community in nourishing and nurturing individuals by removing barriers to healthy food, vital resources and connections to essential services.
My first year with Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank saw immense growth across all programs. To share a few examples, in 2023 the Food Bank Market and Emergency Food Services grew by 35%, as compared to 2022, seeing an average of 770 household each month. The Groceries to Go program grew by 22%, increasing our households to 290. Power Packs saw a 16% growth in the number of students served, while Summer Lunch saw a 12% growth in families served.
2024 shows no sign of slowing down as we continue to see an increase in individuals and families accessing our food and case management services. With this growing need, we are bursting at the seams in our current facility. Although our team has done an amazing job of adapting to our current space, it’s becoming imperative to have additional space for growth and better efficiencies. For years, the food bank has explored a variety of expansion options. Over the past year and a half, we’ve determined that our current location is ideal and have done our due diligence to overcome potential barriers to development on our current site. We are working with the City of Issaquah and hope to know by the end of the year if we can proceed with our dream of building a two-story building on our current site. In the meantime, we’ve also hired a consultant company to help us with a feasibility study for a capital campaign. If you would like to learn more about this project and how you can support our expansion, please feel free to reach out to me.
It’s such a pleasure to work on the Eastside with so many amazing partners and supporters. Our team welcomes the opportunity to host individuals or groups for a tour of our facility or food warehouse, and we encourage you to get involved by volunteering or participating in a food drive. Thank you for your support!
The Issaquah Food Bank provides gift cards in December so families can choose the perfect gifts for their children. A new requirement for 2024: any family participating in the Holiday Gift program must have accessed a food service in the last 12 months. This can be regular market shopping or any of our other food programs, like Summer Lunch or Lunch for the Break.
Shop at the food bank for kid-friendly breakfast, lunch, and snack items, including fresh, healthy options, during the week-long breaks from school. Primarily serving school-age children in the Issaquah School district.
Grocery delivery every other week for those who are unable to shop in our food bank due to transportation, health, aging, or other challenges. Delivery is available for qualifying clients in Zip codes: 98027, 98029, 98059, 98074, 98075.
