2023 Annual Report
Dear Friends,
As we share with you the story of FamilyWorks’ work in 2023, it is also the perfect moment to express our gratitude for the countless ways you – our community – step up to support our mission. We see you every day – volunteering, stopping by our locations to greet the FamilyWorks team, donating food to our food banks, and offering an encouraging word of support and friendship to program participants. We are so grateful to feel your love and support all year round.
FamilyWorks has a small but mighty team, but we cannot do our work without community. In the last year alone, volunteers contributed nearly 10,400 hours in our food bank, resource center, and at community events. Truly amazing and it makes us so proud!
In this last year, FamilyWorks has experienced the power and importance of listening intently to our community. Through listening sessions, surveys, and open dialogue, our staff and Board incorporated the community’s voice and shaped the next strategic plan for FamilyWorks. And through this process we got to rediscover and focus on our core purpose, and with it a renewed mission and bold vision for the path forward.
We have new energy for our mission – to partner with families to alleviate food insecurity and ensure they have resources and support to overcome systemic barriers to equity, build stable communities, and thrive.
This renewed purpose comes at such a critical time in our world. Over the last few years, our community has witnessed the sharpest increase in families who need access to programs and services that enhance their safety, stability, and well-being. We are committed to being a part of the solution for a Seattle where all families – especially families who are furthest away from economic, racial, and food justice – have critical support and resources to truly thrive.
To fuel the goals of our strategic plan – expanded and enhanced programming, deeper partnerships, serving more families and investing in our staff – we launched the Nourishing Communities Capital Campaign. THANK YOU to everyone who believes in the power of what FamilyWorks can do in partnership with our community, and has invested in the campaign so far.
One of the most exciting developments last year was the Grand Opening of our new Family Resource Center at the Cedar Crossing affordable housing community in Roosevelt. This new center is co-located with trusted community partners in Bellwether Housing and Mercy Housing and directly adjacent to the light rail and major bus lines. We lowered barriers to services and are meeting families where they are by growing the reach of our mobile programming and satellite resource centers.
As you’ll see in this report, we tripled the impact of our Mobile Food Pantry, with 300% more families than last year accessing fresh produce from local farms at 14 partner sites. We made nearly 4,000 more home deliveries to families who can’t access our on-site distributions than in 2022. We also increased the number of staff available to meet with participants to connect them with vital community resources.
As you read through these pages of our story, we hope you also take as much pride as we do that it would not have been possible without the steadfast support of our close-knit community of participants, volunteers, and supporters. We hope you find in this Annual Report a celebration of the love, passion, and dedication you all bring to FamilyWorks to make our work possible.
With deep gratitude,
MARCIA WRIGHT-SOIKA
Executive Director
Billy Viluan-Mclendon
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 our Food Banks, Community Closet, Mobile Food Pantry stops, Satellite Resource Centers at Nathan Hale High School and Broadview-Thomson K-8 School, and student PowerPack distribution sites. We continued to expand our Home Grocery Delivery program, increasing the number of households served in 2023 by nearly 50%.
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 Everett and as far south as Auburn!
2023 Highlights
Hosted a Community Paint Day to Decorate Our New Location
Led by mural artist Lis Rafailedes, FamilyWorks staff, volunteers, and board members all helped paint our new Family Resource Center’s wall with a vibrant scene evoking the community we serve.
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal Visits the Wallingford Food Bank
Rep. Pramila Jayapal and her staff visited the Wallingford Food Bank and learned more about how food insecurity is affecting families in our community. Rep. Jayapal later included $750,000 for our food bank renovations as part of her Community Project Funding requests, funded by the Fiscal Year 2024 congressional appropriations bills!
Wallingford Food Bank Renovations Jumpstarted with Installation of New Coolers
Installed as part of our Nourishing Communities Capital Campaign, these new walk-in coolers increase our capacity to store fresh produce for distribution. This addition was made possible by a generous contribution by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Opened Our New Family Resource Center (FRC)
We celebrated the Grand Opening of our FRC with our community of participants and supporters, including a collaborative art project and ribbon-cutting ceremony!
Home Delivery & Mobile Food Pantry Program Growth
In 2023, we increased our home deliveries by more than 50% and our Mobile Food Pantry visits by more than 70%.
Opened Satellite Resource Center at Broadview-Thomson K-8 School
We hired a School Community Resource Navigator to connect with students and families where they learn, lowering barriers to access resources and services.
Expanded Diaper Bank
Despite a temporary pause in service during our move to our new FRC, 71% more families received free diapers and wipes in 2023 than in 2022.
Created Our Strategic Plan for 2024-26
The result of months of hard work and collaboration with key stakeholders including participants, staff, board members, donors, volunteers, funders and community partners, our Strategic Plan will guide our organization as we grow and refine our services to best improve outcomes for families in North Seattle.
Developed Our New Mission, Vision, and Values
As part of our Strategic Plan, we worked with Imago, LLC to develop a renewed Mission, bold Vision, and new organizational Values to better represent our unique position as a human services provider in North Seattle.
Launched Nourishing Communities Capital Campaign
We embarked on a campaign to reach more families where they live, learn, and grow, focusing on improvements to our physical infrastructure, expansion of our Mobile Food Pantry and partnerships with trusted community institutions, and a commitment to invest in the professional and personal growth of our staff.
Increased Number of Community Connectors
In response to the growing need for resources such as utility and rental assistance, mobile phone and transit access, and more, we hired additional Community Connectors at our Wallingford Food Bank and Family Resource Center in Roosevelt.
Designed and Built Our Online Grocery Market
The next evolution in our Text-to-Go platform, our Online Grocery Market makes it easier than ever for participants to access food. Anyone can log in to our online grocery store and customize grocery boxes for pickup or home delivery.
Food Access Programs
2023 was another packed year of growth and expansion for our Food Access Programs. We built upon a strong foundation of programming from our on-site distribution to our Food Bank Express programs. We began the year by launching our Farm to Preschool Program, an exciting new partnership with the City of Seattle to bring local, farm-fresh produce directly to preschool student families, the vast majority of which are from low-to-moderate income households. This partnership more than doubled the number of families who accessed our Mobile Food Pantry, bringing our total number of partner sites to 14.
In an effort to continue lowering barriers to accessing our services, we’ve grown our Grocery Home Delivery program by 54%, with 109 new households receiving customized grocery boxes each week. We also developed a new partnership with Goldfinch, a Chief Seattle Club building for Native elders transitioning out of homelessness.
In 2022, we increased our food purchasing budget in response to challenges in our food supply lines, a trend which continued in 2023 (earmarking $250,000 in total for 2023 food purchases). We used this challenge as an opportunity to support our local food systems and make more fresh, nutritious, and culturally relevant options available to our participants. We directed $55,000 to local farms and increased our purchasing from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) growers and vendors from 13% in 2022 to 41% in 2023.
To help us manage this increased growth, we jumpstarted our planned renovations of the Wallingford Food Bank with the installation of new, larger walk-in coolers and expanded our operations into the space formerly occupied by our Family Resource Center, which moved to a new location in Roosevelt in 2023. We look forward to continue evolving to better meet the needs of our community, reduce food insecurity in our neighborhoods, and advance food justice.
Food Access Program Highlights
4,508
households engaged with our Food Access Programs 42,711 times in 2023.
1,751
participants visited us for the first time.
1,291
households visited the Wallingford Food Bank 11,439 times.
605
households visited the Greenwood Food Bank 6,133.
698,898 pounds
of food were distributed, nearly 350 tons!
14 local farms
partnered with us to bring fresh, sustainable produce to families through deliveries to our Food Bank.
2,700
“No-Cook” Emergency Food Bags and hygiene supplies were distributed to 314+ individuals without access to traditional cooking facilities.
9,063 home deliveries
.were made to 342 households
2,248 PowerPacks
filled with snacks and easy meals were distributed to 83 school-aged kids at three Seattle schools by collaborating with Backpack Brigade and Food for Schools.
702
Text-to-Go customized grocery boxes were delivered to 126 households.
10,330
Mobile Food Pantry visits were made by 1,132 households at 14 sites
Family Support Programs
What a year it has been for the Family Resource Center! Over the past few years, we witnessed an increasing demand for family support and resources. We’ve been able to empower so many families through the various programs that we hosted and connect them to essential resources. However, this also highlighted the growing challenges of limited space. It became clear that we needed to have a larger space to house more staff and programs that could intentionally support the needs of families.
In 2023, we were thrilled to open our new Family Resource Center, located on the ground floor of the Cedar Crossing affordable housing community in the Roosevelt neighborhood. Our staff had the opportunity to review blueprints for the new space, visit the site during the construction phase, and select furniture items. We held a grand opening for the Family Resource Center in September, and have welcomed families into our beautiful new center where they feel safe, listened to, and supported.
In this new space, we are excited to have our own dedicated classroom, Community Closet, playroom, conference room, storage space for diapers and donations, and a private consultation room to host our community partners and meet with participants. These are not only things our staff requested, but also what our families told us they wanted. Their desire for our growth has brought us to this point of furthering family support and connection. Our new space also allows us to be close to more transportation routes like the Sound Transit link light rail, build new partnerships in the area, and provide services to residents in an affordable housing community.
Speaking of new developments, we also were able to expand our school partnerships by opening an additional school-based Family Resource Center at Broadview-Thomson K-8 School. We created a new position, a School Community Resource Navigator to work alongside the school to provide on-site, immediate support to help families navigate various resources and get connected to essential services.
We’re excited to continue to grow as we work towards more inclusivity by incorporating participant voice and input to strengthen our organization to provide ongoing support for families!
Luisa's Story
Learn about Luisa 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 Luisa and her family, for sharing their story with our community.
Resource Center Highlights
Note: Our Family Resource Center closed temporarily during the summer of 2023 to facilitate the move to our new space. This closure is reflected in the number of participants we served.
768 households
participated in Family Support Programs.
43 families
with 62 children attended 39 Spanish Playgroup sessions.
40 families
with 60 children attended 40 English Playgroup sessions.
87 students
received backpacks filled with brand-new school supplies at our Back-to-School Celebration.
38 families visited from over 40 schools and 6 different school districts.
59 families
72 kids
received gifts from sponsoring donors at our Winter Wishes Celebration.
36 families
visited our Community Closet in the last quarter of 2023.
423 households
met one-on-one with our Community Connectors, with 251 successful enrollments in community and public benefits.
Volunteers
We are so grateful for the dedicated support of our community of volunteers! From weekly shifts helping with grocery rescue and Mobile Food Pantry distributions to special events like our Back-to-School and Winter Wishes celebrations, our volunteers powered our programs and kept things running smoothly all year long.
312 volunteers gave 10,391 hours of their time in support of our community! While we had nearly the same number of volunteers last year as we did in 2022, they stepped up to bolster our expanded programs by increasing their volunteer hours by 7%. We welcomed new group volunteers from businesses such as Blueprint/Salesforce, Qualtrics, Bank of America, and DefenseStorm, and re-established our long-running volunteer partnership with Adobe, whose employees visited our Wallingford Food Bank 40 times to volunteer. Thank you to everyone who donated their time, energy, and love to our community. We really appreciate you!
2023 Volunteer Stats:
312 volunteers
10,391 hours
Total volunteer hours averaging 865 hours/month
1,419 hours
Family Resource Center and Family Support Program volunteer hours given by 80 volunteers
7,190 hours
Food Bank and Food Access Program volunteer hours given by 225 volunteers
580
Board volunteer hours; 13 people donated their time leading and stewarding our organization
120
volunteers joined us as part of a work or community group, donating 441 hours of their time to our Food Access and Family Support Programs
2023 Kerwin Manuel Impact Award
Each year, FamilyWorks presents the Kerwin Manuel Impact Award, dedicated to the late Mr. Manuel in honor of his dedicated and courageous service to FamilyWorks and our community. This year, we’d like to recognize Alessandra Pollock as the recipient of the 2023 Kerwin Manuel Impact Award.
Alessandra is a long-time volunteer who joined our Board of Directors back in 2016. Since that time, she has demonstrated a tremendous dedication to our organization. In addition to formerly serving as our Board President, she has been a frequent volunteer at our Supermarket Saturday Food Drives and Winter Wishes program. She also led our Strategic Plan Committee, stewarding board members and staff through the process for nearly two years and leading participant focus groups. Ali has also shone as a thoughtful advisor to our team, always taking time to check in with staff and never hesitating to offer support in times of need.
Thank you, Ali, for all you do for FamilyWorks and our community!
Photo: www.rkjacobs.com ©2019
Our participants are often impacted by systems that inhibit people’s ability to meet their goals. At FamilyWorks, we’re looking inward to dismantle systems 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 2023 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 systems 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 2023 as we work toward a more just and equitable community.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Initiatives
Action
Impact
Action:
Developed a new partnership with Goldfinch, a Chief Seattle Club building for Native elders transitioning out of homelessness.
Impact:
This partnership focuses on one of the most impacted populations in our area, and sets the foundation for a more robust relationship with a trusted organization serving indigenous families.
Action:
Our Food Bank focused on local food purchasing, directing $55k to local farms and increased purchasing from BIPOC growers and vendors from 13% in 2022 to 41% in 2023.
Impact:
Not only does this support local food systems and people who power it, particularly growers and vendors facing instituionalized racism and marginalization in agriculture, but it also ensures our participants have access to more fresh foods and more culturally relevant foods.
Action:
Our fundraising team utilized Community-Centric Fundraising’s Aligned Actions List to audit our practices and storytelling for equity.
Impact:
We gained a better understanding of our current fundraising strategies and policies, learned ways we can tweak or sunset existing strategies, and adopt new policies in pursuit of equity.
Action:
Our Family Programs Team attended “The Developing and Sustaining Parent Advisory Committee,” a two-day virtual training by the National Family Support Network.
Impact:
They heard firsthand accounts from organizations that have organized Participant Advisory Committees, learned effective structures and strategies to support program participants in strategic work, and returned prepared to establish a Participant Advisory Committee at FamilyWorks to better engage with the community we serve. Our participants are largely people of color, and we are challenging the power dynamic in our organization by restructuring to share power in decision making about our programs and priorities.
Nourishing Communities Capital Campaign
At FamilyWorks, we believe that supported families build strong communities. In 2021-22, we undertook a community-driven assessment of our organization. Through this process, it became clear that in order to continue to be a source of support to our North Seattle community, FamilyWorks must expand our programming and build our organizational capacity. That’s why we chose to embark on a campaign to reach more families where they live, learn, and grow.
1. Build and Own New Family Resource Center
We opened our new 3,000 sq ft center on September 16, 2023. This new space is located at Cedar Crossing, a family-focused affordable housing complex that is home to 300 children and located at the Roosevelt Light Rail Station.
LEARN MORE >
2. Expand Wallingford Food Bank
The renovation will feature more storage, an open layout for shoppers, and more fresh and local foods. It will include private space to meet with families and help them reach economic stability goals. (Construction begins in 2025)
3. Grow Our Mobile Food Pantry
We will expand innovative food bank services to meet even more of the diverse needs of our community, including our pioneering Text-To-Go food bank ordering service.
4. Partner with Housing, Schools, and Health Orgs
We will grow strategic partnerships to broaden and deepen our reach in our communities where they are most needed.
LEARN MORE >
5. Invest in Our Staff
We will create new program leadership positions, expand professional training, invest in mental health counseling, and increase contributions toward retirement funds.
LEARN MORE >
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 2023
Edsel Blanche
(he/him)
Family Resource Center Manager
Liala Cooney
(she/her)
Family Programs Coordinator
Hannah Daley
(she/her)
Grants & Evaluations Coortinator
Nicole Freitas
(she/her)
Community Connector
Kelly Groat
(she/her)
Food Bank Coordinator
Kat Johnson
(she/her)
Volunteer Coordinator
Ron Ketelhut
(he/him)
Community Connector
Rehana Lanewala
(she/her)
Director of Development & Communications
Kirby Lochner
(he/him)
Communications Coordinator
Gladys Martinez
(she/her)
Youth & Family Programs Coordinator
Diana Mata García
(she/her)
Mobile Food Pantry Coordinator
Pete Metzelfeld
(he/him)
Food Bank Coordinator
James Moody
(he/him)
Food Bank Coordinator
Shruti Niravane
(she/her)
Social Work Intern
Danielle New
(she/her)
Annual Giving Manager
Anisa Nun
(she/her)
Community Connector & Family Programs Coordinator
Jessie Page
(she/her)
AmeriCorps Food Access Coordinator
Subigya Pandey
(she/her)
Social Work Intern
Renée Pierce
(she/her)
School Community Resource Navigator
Tobey Solomon- Auger
(she/her)
Food Bank Manager
Theresa Williams
(she/her)
Office Manager
Marcia Wright-Soika
(she/her)
Executive Director
Board Members/Executives in 2023
“Everyone wants to be seen, their voices heard, to feel connected, and to belong… I am proud to be associated with FamilyWorks in this moment when it is growing its programming to bring its vital services within the accessibility of even more of our neighbors.” – Dr. Anindita Chatterjee
Billy Viluan-McLendon
President
Richard Neely
Vice President
Shanda Boyett
Secretary
Senanu Aggor
Treasurer
Mike Billish
Anindita Chatterjee
Gloris Estrella
Ruchika Gupta Truitt
Bryan Knoll
Pamela Ng
John Olson
Alison Parsons
Alessandra Pollock
Jennifer Rogers
Abdul Qaiyyum Subedar
Billy Viluan-McLendon
President
Richard Neely
Vice-President
Shanda Boyett
Secretary
Senanu Aggor
Treasurer
Mike Billish
Anindita Chatterjee
Gloris Estrella
Ruchika Gupta Truitt
Bryan Knoll
Pamela Ng
John Olson
Alison Parsons
Alessandra Pollock
Jennifer Rogers
Abdul Qaiyyum Subedar
Funding
Since the start of the pandemic, we have seen continued increases in the cost to provide services to meet our community’s needs. Fortunately, generosity and public support has also risen, and FamilyWorks was able to experience a surplus in 2023. This has been used to expand our programming, increase our organizational capacity, and bolster our staff supports, and will help jumpstart planned renovations to our Wallingford Food Bank.
Income for 2023
Contributions $1,083,267
In-Kind $1,023,657
Special Events $69,879
Government Contracts $1,298,702
Grants $1,161,560
Interest/Other $21,223
Total Income $4,658,288
Expenses for 2023
Program Services $3,049,171 Management & General $164,884 Fundraising $351,808 Capital Campaign $69,879
Total Expenses $3,680,066
Thank You For Making An Impact
To Our Donors – 2023 was another of year growing need for families in North Seattle. WIth your support, we expanded and adapted our services, opening our new Family Resource Center, more than doubling our Mobile Food Pantry visits and Home Grocery Deliveries, and developing our Online Grocery Market. 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.