Bellingham Food Bank receives donation of 8,000 pounds of sweet corn from Sodexo, others

On Oct. 20, the Vertically Integrated Partnership (including Annie’s Fun, Sodexo, Hirai Farms, National Frozen Foods, etc.) donated 8,000 pounds of sweet corn to the Bellingham Food Bank. Many students from Western Washington University and volunteers from Sodexo were on hand to help to unload the sweet corn. Following the 4-ton delivery of sweet corn in Bellingham, the truck took the remainder of the load (approximately 26 tons of sweet corn) to Food Lifeline in Shoreline.

The Vertically Integrated Partnership is a coalition of farmers, food processors, food distributors and food service companies that are working together to help stop hunger in the Pacific Northwest. Since 2008, the partnership has donated nearly 3 million pounds of food (potatoes, sweet corn, onions, beans, canned foods, etc.) to many food banks in the Pacific Northwest, including the Bellingham Food Bank, Northwest Harvest, Second Harvest, Food Lifeline, White Center Food Bank, Quincy Community Food Bank and Wenatchee Food Bank. The Vertically Integrated Partnership has a goal of donating another 2 million pounds of food in the next 12 to 16 months.

“This large donation of fresh sweet corn by the Vertically Integrated Partnership, Sodexo, Annie’s Fun, Hirai Farms and National Frozen Foods will greatly benefit Whatcom County. Also, it was great to have all of the volunteers from Sodexo and students from Western Washington University there to quickly unload the sweet corn and pack it into cartons,” said Max Morange, Agricultural Programs Coordinator of the Bellingham Food Bank. “The Bellingham Food Bank will be immediately distributing the sweet corn to soup kitchens and emergency food providers across the county. Having such a substantial donation really makes it possible for us to distribute much-needed food to every corner of our community.”

Photos and video of the recent sweet corn donation and volunteer event at the Bellingham Food Bank are online.

For more information about the Oct. 20 sweet corn donation to the Bellingham Food Bank, contact Mike Cohen or Max Morange of the Bellingham Food Bank at (360) 676-0392 or mike@bellinghamfoodbank.org or glean@bellinghamfoodbank.org.