Fast Facts

July-September is considered the "peak season" for fresh produce by many local farmers! Washington State is the country's #1 producer of berries, and around this time of year we also see large harvests of lettuce, stonefruit, carrots, tomatoes, corn, and much more. Read through the newsletter to learn more about how the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank partners with local farms to bring fresh, locally grown produce into more homes

in our community!

Source: Local Guide to Washington Produce

"Issaquah Food Bank has become an invaluable resource for me with the high cost of groceries. It brings me great mental comfort, stress relief and food stability. The entire staff is very well organized, responsive and caring, and the food top quality!

Being elderly and without a car, I am unable to go into stores. This is a challenge that (the food bank) has solved. It's even much more than just about the food. I am happy to be able to share with my neighbors on occasion and give back if I can. It's about community support and helping those less fortunate in times of economic instability and natural disasters. Thank you wholeheartedly!"



-Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank Participant

Issaquah School District’s participation in the free and reduced-price school lunch program continues to grow year over year, with 2,700 students enrolled as of last September. When students are home during school breaks, they aren’t receiving daily breakfasts and lunches from school, putting added strain on parents to provide nutritious meals. Our Summer Lunch program is meant to help bridge that gap.  

To support these families during the summer, in addition to our regular market shopping days every other week, our Summer Lunch program provided an extra day of grocery shopping every two weeks where families picked up a large bag of produce with extra fruit, meat, dairy and other items like tortillas, pasta, and dry goods. Every distribution day featured fresh foods of a specific color of the rainbow, celebrating the beautiful natural array of nutrients that come from the earth!

“I cannot thank the donors enough for all of their support this summer. This grab and go program worked amazing and was so helpful for me as a single mom. I was able to get plenty of nutritious food as well as so much variety for my child and the program worked seamlessly. Volunteers were so kind and committed to helping our community. I cannot be more thankful for this service and I know there are so many others in the community that are benefitting, so thank you again!” 

 -Summer Lunch Participant

Thank you to our volunteers and donors for supporting over 900 of our youngest recipients through this program!



Champion Spotlight: May Gauvin

by Hannah Harvey, Communications & Grants Administrator

May Gauvin first immigrated to the United States when she was 13 years old. For the first five years in the states, her family relied on food stamps and government subsidies to make ends meet.

“My mom was sick and in and out of the hospital, and my dad was taking care of her, so we didn’t have a lot of income. I wish there had been a food bank we could access,” May shared. “IFCB does so much for people—not just nutrition, but other resources too. We are so lucky to have this resource in Issaquah, where people can access support with low barriers. Helping our communities be stronger is the ultimate goal.”...READ MORE

Washington Farm Season Was Bountiful!

The Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank is incredibly grateful to partner with Washington farms to provide regionally- grown fresh produce in our market and Groceries to Go deliveries. Through Growing for Good, a partnership between Neighborhood Farmers Markets, Harvest Against Hunger, and PCC Community Markets, Washington’s small farms get connected to hunger relief agencies like ours.

We currently partner with the following incredible farms:

• Hayton Farm
• Spring Time Farm
• AG Farm
• SteelWheel Farm
• Canales Produce

The carrots pictured above came from Spring Time Farm and were distributed to recipients of our Groceries to Go program during the first week of August!

Recipe for Hope: Stronger Together

Please join us at Recipe for Hope: Stronger Together. We are all stronger when we can rely on each other. Different seasons of life place us in positions of either needing to give support or receive support, and the balance between the two can be a delicate one. When we are there for each other in times of need, we strengthen others while strengthening ourselves and helping our community thrive. At the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank, we get to experience this in action every day. Join us to learn more about the strength found in being a part of this incredible ecosystem.

Tuesday, September 29

The Golf Club at Newcastle

15500 Six Penny Lane, Newcastle, WA

Breakfast

Buffet: 7:30 - 8:00 a.m.

Program: 8:00 - 9:00 a.m.

Lunch

Buffet: 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon

Program: 12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m.

There is no cost to attend. However, this is a fundraising event to raise support for critical resources for the rapidly growing number of food-insecure individuals in East King County. Therefore, we ask for a minimum $250 gift of each guest. Please also help us expand our reach by inviting others to join and give. 

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." – Helen Keller

Can't join us? Give online! Thank you!

We are looking for Table Hosts, Event Sponsors, and Matching Pool Heroes! Contact Brooke to learn more!

Special Thanks to Our Premier Sponsors

Photos from 2025 farmer's market season

Farmer's Market

Shout-Outs

So far this summer, we have been honored to be able to pass along almost 1,600 lbs. of beautiful, fresh farmer's market produce to our shoppers and Groceries to Go delivery recipients. This is a huge treat that expands our summer offerings and saves on food purchasing expenses.

So far this year, it has taken over 30 volunteers and dozens of farmer's market donors to make this all possible and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who contributes to this process!

Thank you!

Upcoming Opportunities and Events

There are always great events and opportunities to volunteer, donate, attend, or do all three! For more information on any of these, just reach out to Hannah.



Holiday Closures

• Labor Day- Mon., September 7, 2026

Mark your calendars now!

Recipe for Hope

• Our most important fundraising event of the year!
• Tuesday, September 29, 2026
• Breakfast at 7:30 a.m or Lunch at 11:30 a.m.
• The Golf Club at Newcastle
• Register today!

Issaquah Turkey Trot

• Our annual fun run/walk through downtown Issaquah
• Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, November 26,2026 at 9:00 a.m.
• Registration opens September 1
• Early bird rates until October 30

Temporary Space Needed

We are looking for a short-term space to use for Turkey Trot t-shirt sorting and packet distribution for just two weeks in November.

Do you know of a space that we might be able to use?

It could provide excellent visibility for a local business or efficient use of vacant space!

Contact Bonnie to learn more or share leads! Thank you!

Looking for work you can do from home and/or outside of normal business hours? We are looking for volunteers with specialized skills for the opportunity below:



• Canva Document Conversion: Our Development team is transitioning old marketing designs from Microsoft Publisher over to Canva due to the platform retiring this October. This project will consist of creating designs in Canva that are based on pre-made documents. In order to be successful, you must have intermediate experience with Canva and graphic design.

Contact Shaila for more details if you are interested!

Community Clothing Closet

Do you have clothing you are looking to donate? While we have not accepted clothing donations at the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank since 2020, our community partners, the Community Clothing Closet, are a great organization to donate to! They accept clean, new, or gently used clothing for kids through adults in all sizes. Check out their donation page for details on how and when you can donate.