ST LEOS PARISH
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Mission Statement
We believe that God, out of love for us, has created a world in which there is enough food for everyone, if only we are willing to share.
About This Cause
From our beginnings in a Hilltop garage in 1982 to today, the St. Leo Food Connection has been a consistent source of nutritious food and caring for people in need throughout Pierce County. Our motto is “fighting hunger in Pierce County since 1982.” We take pride in distributing nutritious food, realizing that our clients are among society’s most vulnerable: children and seniors make up more than fifty percent of our clients at both the St. Leo Food Connection and the Springbrook Mobile Food Bank. These populations are the most affected by a compromised diet. We require no proof of need from our clients, serving all Pierce County residents who come to us. In addition, we provide job training in warehouse, driving, customer relations and computer skills for individual volunteers and those placed with us through partner agencies. The St. Leo Food Connection, is the second largest food bank in Pierce County, and one of the largest in the state. In Fiscal Year 2023 ending June 30, 2023 we served more than 183,000 Clients. Total meals served through walk-in, Children’s Feeding, and Mobile Food Bank programs exceeded 2,140,000. Our programs include: • The Springbrook Mobile Food Bank, which serves 125-150 households in Lakewood’s Springbrook neighborhood every Saturday. In Fiscal Year 2022 we had approximately 100,000 client visits. • The Backpack Project provides two days’ worth of food to more than 1,600 children who are at risk of going hungry every weekend throughout the school year. • After-School Meals that provides nutritious snacks to local after school programs. • The Break Bags Project, which provides 2,000 families with food bags to help them meet their nutritional needs during extended Thanksgiving, Winter and Spring Breaks. • Summer Meals operates at several sites throughout the local community serving a free lunch to hundreds of children on weekdays throughout the summer. In addition, The Food Connection community works in conjunction with other social service providers on local, state, and federal advocacy efforts to support low-income individuals and families. While we have a staff of eleven (6 FT, 4PT), the St. Leo Food Connection relies on a variety of community volunteers to fully staff its programs. Volunteers come from the parish, the community of need, and the larger community. Volunteers are needed to help collect and process food donations and assist clients at our St. Leo Food Bank; to assist with preparation and deliveries for our Children’s Feeding Programs; serve on the Food Connection Commission; participate on the event planning committee; and work on community education and advocacy efforts. For more information on the Food Connection in general please contact Dawn Whitman at 253-361-9943 or dawnw@foodconnection.org.