2022 Annual Report
Dear Friends,
As we reflect on FamilyWorks’ impact in the last year, we are continually inspired by the strength, kindness, and compassion of the communities we serve and the beautiful mosaic of supporters of our mission. It was especially apparent at a time when families in our community who were already experiencing social, emotional, and economic hardships had them further exacerbated by rising inflation and the expiration of emergency benefit programs. More families than ever before sought services at FamilyWorks’ food banks and resource center, and through our annual survey, we learned that the primary causes of stress that sent a family through our doors were financial concerns. Through it all, you have supported us with thousands of volunteer hours, heartfelt contributions, and the most meaningful gift – appreciation for our mission and work.
2022 was a powerful example of the importance of listening intently to our community. Through listening sessions, surveys, and open dialogue, we incorporated community voice and started shaping the next three-year strategic plan for FamilyWorks. We look forward to sharing our exciting and bold new vision later this year.
We jumpstarted a plan to expand and improve our physical service locations, while increasing our response to community need with newer services, such as the Mobile Food Pantry – which now reaches nearly 1,000 people a month with food and supportive resources. We recommitted to impactful service partnerships with Seattle Public Schools, Seattle King County Public Health, and dozens of providers to put a broad range of support within families’ reach. We hosted partners at our physical locations and in many cases, brought our family support and food access programs to community partners directly to eliminate barriers for families.
Together with you, we have nourished, connected, and empowered thousands of families. We heard directly from program participants that the aspect of FamilyWorks they value the most is the strong sense of community and support from staff, volunteers, and fellow program participants. This Annual Report serves as a love letter and testament to what each of our staff, volunteers, community partners, and supporters pours into our mission each and every day.
With deep gratitude,
MARCIA WRIGHT-SOIKA
Executive Director
ALISON PARSONS
Board President
Our Service Area
The above map is meant to provide an overview of our general service area, and some key program and resource distribution locations, including both of our Food Banks, Community Closet, Mobile Food Pantry stops, Satellite Resource Center at Nathan Hale High School, and student PowerPack distribution sites. We continued to expand our Home Grocery Delivery program, partnering with the United Way of King County and DoorDash to bring fresh foods to even more families.
We always refer participants to food banks and resources closer to their homes, but we never limit our services to our immediate neighbors in North Seattle. Not reflected on this map are the dozens of participants who traveled from neighboring cities and counties to visit our Food Banks, Community Closet,
or participate in Family Programs. Our Family Resource Center had visitors who traveled from as far North as Marysville, as far east as Snoqualmie, and as far South as Enumclaw!
2022 Highlights
Recognized as one of 7 strong partnerships by Seattle Public Schools
Nominated by teachers and administrators who work closely with us at our Satellite Resource Center at Nathan Hale High School and have seen firsthand the impact on the children in their classrooms.
Offered testimony for the Federal Farm Bill
Marcia spoke in support of expanding The Emergency Food Assistance Program to allow organizations to utilize TEFAP funds to purchase fresh produce from local farmers.
Launched our own FamilyWorks sandwiches
Started a partnership with Wallingford Presbyterian Church, utilizing their kitchen to make “James’ Sandwiches,” named after their creator, Food Bank Coordinator James Moody. James’ Sandwiches are distributed at our Mobile Food Pantry and Wallingford Food Bank!
Built multiple new partnerships with local organizations
New partners include Open Arms Perinatal Services, Wellspring Family Services, Comcast Affordable Connectivity Program, Solid Ground Regional Access Point, Molina Healthcare.
Hosted our First Family Resource Fair
We invited 8 community partners (North Seattle Family Center, Rapid Relief Team, Rec’N the Streets – Seattle Parks & Rec, Child Care Resources, Rivkin Center, TeenTix, UW Husky Dentistry, and WIC [Women, Infants, & Children]) to table and provide families with information on their services and programs.
Mobile Food Pantry partnership with King County Child Care Providers
We started a new partnership with several child care providers in North Seattle, connecting families to fresh groceries at 3 different sites.
Expanded Home Delivery program
A new DoorDash partnership with United Way ensured weekly deliveries to everyone who had been on our waiting list.
2022 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders® Awardee
We were recognized for our work removing economic barriers and advancing opportunity! As an awardee, we’ll receive a $200,000 grant over two years and comprehensive leadership development for our Executive Director Marcia Wright-Soika and our emerging leader Tobey Solomon-Auger, Food Bank Manager, to expand our impact.
Expanded Diaper Bank
Thanks to a grant from the Washington State Dept. of Commerce, we expanded our diaper bank, providing diapers and wipes to more families in our community.
Sunday Supper returns in person!
After two years of virtual events, our annual fundraiser returned in person! We gathered at the Sunset Bay Lodge to celebrate our participants and support families in our community, raising over $150,000 for our programs in one evening!
Food Access Programs
Looking back on 2022, our food bank is proud to have continued serving North Seattle communities with dedication and innovation. Despite challenges presented by the pandemic and rising inflation, we expanded our food access programs, reaching more households through our on-site distributions, Mobile Food Pantry, Text-to-Go, and Home Delivery Program. This summer, we formed a new partnership with King County Public Health to reach childcare providers who were struggling to provide food for the kids at their sites. We are now running pop-ups complete with produce, proteins, dairy and dry goods twice monthly at three childcare sites in North Seattle.
We also focused on expanding our fresh produce selection, grounded in our commitment to support our local growers, and provide culturally relevant options for our community. We partnered with ten local farms this year and initiated a new partnership with Aztec Imports to bring in more produce year-round including staples like greens, ginger, garlic, eggplant, plantains, corn, and bok choy.
This year also brought significant challenges when it came to food supply. We received less food from traditional food bank distributors as the pandemic-era focus on emergency food supply faded. At the same time, we saw more participants seeking services for the first time as prices in the grocery stores continued to climb. In response, we purchased over 50% more food in 2022 than in 2021.
Through it all, we are deeply grateful for the support of our volunteers, partners, vendors, growers, and donors. Thank you for standing with us as we strive to reduce food insecurity in our communities and advance food justice.
Food Access Program Highlights
3,935 households
met basic needs through our food access programs
30,697 visits
to our food banks and other programs in 2022
647,454 pounds
of food distributed (nearly 340 tons!)
10+ farms
brought fresh, local produce to families through deliveries to our food bank
2,847
“No-Cook” Emergency Food Bags and hygiene supplies distributed to 404 individuals without access to traditional cooking facilities
5,880 home deliveries
to 234 households
1,193 PowerPacks
filled with snacks and easy meals distributed to 46 school-aged kids at three Seattle schools by collaborating with Backpack Brigade and Food for Schools
769
Text-to-Go customized grocery boxes delivered to 180 households
4,823
Mobile Food Pantry visits from 366 households at six sites
Family Resource Center
As the Family Resource Center reflects on the accomplishments of 2022, we take immense pride in all the ways we have met the diverse needs of families in our community. Our commitment to enriching programming has allowed us to cultivate meaningful relationships and work collaboratively with participants to ensure they have access to support and resources.
In 2022, we created new relationships with partners and also hosted new programs like a Family Resource Fair. We have also been able to continue with core programs that fostered community building among our participants. We witnessed an increase in attendance in our playgroups, Chica de Hoy groups, field trips, Back to School and Winter Wishes.
Our impact on families has significantly increased, evident through the expansion of our diaper program, which now serves over 225 children. This growth is a response to the increased demand for diaper assistance. We also have successfully assisted over 600 participants in receiving information on public benefits, empowering them with much-needed assistance to navigate various systems. These participants met one-on-one with our Community Connectors, who provided an array of different assessments, screenings, and application assistant to ensure they get connected to services that meet their needs.
The heartfelt connections we made throughout 2022 left lasting impressions on our Family Resource Center team. Of the 835 households we served, one participant in particular touched our hearts deeply with a letter she wrote to one of our staff. “We’ve been most impacted by the personal warmth and delightful acceptance from the staff whenever we come. Making it something we look forward to and feel great dignity in being part of this community.” Her statement is a powerful reminder of the impact and difference we make in the lives of our families.
Thank you all, and we can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on for the upcoming year!
Esperanza's Story – 2022 Sunday Supper At Home:
Learn about Esperanza and her family, how she found us, and how they utilize FamilyWorks programs to build stability in their lives. We’d like to extend a huge thank you to Esperanza and her family, for sharing their story with our community.
Resource Center Highlights
835 households
served from 72 different zip codes
Kaleidoscope Play & Learn Groups
31 families
with 35 children attended 23 Spanish Playgroup sessions
49 families
with 70 children attended 26 English Playgroup sessions
Back-to-School program
130 students
received backpacks filled with brand-new school supplies
Families visited from over 40 schools and 6 different school districts
Winter Wishes Program
68 families
146 kids
received gifts from sponsoring donors
217 families
visited our Community Closet 358 times to shop for clothing and household items
Community Connector
603 households
met one-on-one with our Community Connectors, with 464 successful enrollments community and public benefits
Volunteers
In 2022, we were excited to restart or expand several volunteering programs. With increased opportunities to volunteer, we had a 63% increase in volunteers when compared to 2021. A grand total of 313 volunteers gave 9682 volunteering hours. Of those 313 volunteers, 176 were new to FamilyWorks. In our food bank, we had massive growth in group volunteering, and while we still aim to keep our groups very small, it was great to welcome back businesses and organizations to our space. Adobe Inc. resumed their weekly lunchtime volunteering with us; we had the return of Reading Buddies, an early reading support program we run in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club; and our Supermarket Saturday food drives at our local QFC returned. Thank you so much to all our volunteers. We really appreciate you!
2022 Volunteer Stats:
313 volunteers
9,682 hours
Total volunteer hours averaging 806 hours/month
1,738 hours
Family Resource Center and Family Support Program volunteer hours given by 108 volunteers
6,980 hours
Food Bank and Food Access Program volunteer hours given by 212 volunteers
614
Board volunteer hours; 14 people donated their time leading and stewarding our organization
109
volunteers joined us as part of a work or community group, donating 475 hours of their time to our Food Access and Family Support Programs
2022 Kerwin Manuel Impact Award
Each year, our staff comes together to nominate the recipient of the annual Kerwin Manuel Impact Award, named after the late Mr. Manuel for his dedicated service to our participants and community.
We are pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2022 Kerwin Manuel Impact Award is our wonderful food bank volunteer, Pamela Ng!
Pamela has taken on many different roles over the past year. Each Tuesday, they manage the produce station on our distribution line, assisting participants in picking out their favorite veggies. Pamela also helped us better connect with our Mandarin-speaking participants, helping us with translation and interpretation. They also organized our first annual Lunar New Year celebration for a group of Chinese elder participants.
Thank you for everything, Pam!
Our participants are often impacted by systems that inhibit people’s ability to meet their goals. At FamilyWorks, we’re looking inward to dismantle practices rooted in racism and inequity in order to make our programs, practices, and physical environment more accessible, welcoming, and inclusive to all. On the next page are actions we’ve taken in 2022 as we work toward a more just and equitable community.
Our participants are often impacted by systems that inhibit people’s ability to meet their goals. At FamilyWorks, we’re looking inward to dismantle practices rooted in racism and inequity in order to make our programs, practices, and physical environment more accessible, welcoming, and inclusive to all. On the next page are actions we’ve taken in 2022 as we work toward a more just and equitable community.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Initiatives
Action
Impact
Action:
We increased our food purchasing budget by 50% in 2022, prioritizing procurement of culturally relevant foods including meats, grains, eggs, dairy and fresh produce.
Impact:
Participants can shop for and receive fresh groceries that align with their cultural and dietary preferences. At the same time, we’re investing in our local food economy by supporting BIPOC vendors and growers who reflect the identities of the participants we serve.
Action:
We increased language accessibility by adding Spanish and Chinese language support to Text-to-Go, and Spanish, Chinese, and Russian translations to our food bank distribution line signage.
Impact:
FamilyWorks continues our work to make our food bank programming more accessible and comfortable for participants who speak a range of languages.
Action:
FamilyWorks recognizes Juneteenth as an official holiday for the first time, and shares educational resources with staff and our community of supporters.
Impact:
Celebrating Juneteenth and reflecting on the legacy of slavery and its impacts on our community, nation, and world today is a step toward justice and healing.
Action:
LGBTQ Inclusivity Training launched for staff & volunteers
Impact:
In addition to developing an intersectional lens to analyze the impacts of systemic oppression on our workplace and within our services, staff and volunteers learned ways to increase access and inclusion by role-playing and discussing ways to interrupt homophobia and transphobia.
FamilyWorks Staff
Along with our volunteers, FamilyWorks staff put their heart and soul into this work, creating an environment where our entire community can feel respected, where we have opportunities for growth, and where we can all make a positive impact.
*former FamilyWorks staff in 2022
Joey Ashenbrenner*
(he/him)
Director of Development & Communications
Edsel Blanche
(he/him)
Family Resource Center Manager
Liala Cooney
(she/her)
Family Programs Coordinator
Hannah Daley
(she/her)
Grants & Evaluations Coortinator
Jemiris Gonzalez-
de Jesus
(he/him)
Mobile Food Pantry Coordinator
Morgan Grady- Benson
(she/her)
Community Connector
Kat Johnson
(she/her)
Volunteer Coordinator
Ollie Lauver*
(they/them)
HungerCorps Food Access Coordinator
Kirby Lochner
(he/him)
Communications Coordinator
Gladys Martinez
(she/her)
Youth & Family Programs Coordinator
Sarah Maness*
(she/her)
Food Bank Coordinator
Pete Metzelfeld
(he/him)
Food Bank Coordinator
James Moody
(he/him)
Food Bank Coordinator
Danielle New
(she/her)
Annual Giving Manager
Anisa Nun
(she/her)
Community Connector & Family Programs Coordinator
Tobey Solomon- Auger
(she/her)
Food Bank Manager
Theresa Williams
(she/her)
Office Manager
Marcia Wright-Soika
(she/her)
Executive Director
Interns
Sam Luna-Patterson • Nayeli Quiroz-Torres • Rachel Redman • Jessie (Ruohan) Sun
Board Members/Executives in 2022
What would we do without the hard working visionary leadership of our Board? Their insight and behind- the-scenes help with infrastructure, development, and other mission-based activities keeps us growing strong. They are a mighty bunch!
Senanu Aggor
Clara Behnke
Anindita Chatterjee
Brianna Jackson
Rev. Tiare Mathison
Caroline Mburu
Marcella Menegale
Richard Neely
John Olson
Alison Parsons
Alessandra Pollock
Megan Scoville
Abdul Qaiyyum Subedar
Billy Viluan-McLendon
Senanu Aggor
Clara Behnke
Anindita Chatterjee
Brianna Jackson
Rev. Tiare Mathison
Caroline Mburu
Marcella Menegale
Richard Neely
John Olson
Alison Parsons
Alessandra Pollock
Megan Scoville
Abdul Qaiyyum Subedar
Billy Viluan-McLendon
Funding
The third year of the pandemic brought continued increases to the cost of services to meet our community’s needs. Fortunately, generosity and public funding also rose, and FamilyWorks was able to experience a surplus in 2022, some of which has helped us jumpstart our physical location expansion, including our new Family Resource Center.
Income for 2022
Contributions $877,301
In-Kind $1,067,681
Special Events $57,511
City/State Contracts $877,566
Grants $709,430
Interest/Other $3,920
Total Income $3,593,399
Expenses for 2022
Program Services $2,418,651 Management & General $311,396 Fundraising $397,599
Total Expenses $3,127,646
Thank You For Making An Impact
To Our Donors – 2022 has been another whirlwind of a year and we are so grateful to have had such a supportive community standing by us every step of the way. As costs of living continued to rise and financial relief became even more difficult to receive, we saw a continued increase in participants accessing our services. Thanks to the generosity and partnership of each and every one of you, we were able to ensure access to nourishing food, vital resources, and a caring community for our participants.