The Pike Market Food Bank is an important resource for people experiencing homelessness in Downtown Seattle.
For this project, Emerging Leader volunteers will be packing No Cook Bags for clients facing homelessness. No Cook Bags contain healthy, nutritious, ready-to-eat and non-perishable foods that do not require a kitchen to prepare or store. Food Bank guests wanting a No-Cook Bag do not need to complete any paperwork or have an ID to access the food. To complete this activity, volunteers will form an assembly line to pack the bags and prepare the work area for the next day’s tasks. This may require some volunteers to lift up to 20 lbs. at a time. Food Bank staff will lead the activity to answer any questions and provide support.
This event will introduce volunteers to the unique needs and challenges faced by people experiencing homelessness. Staff will provide an orientation to contextualize the activity and a closing reflection on the structural factors related to homelessness and marginalization. Volunteers and staff will discuss how and why marginalized groups are disproportionately represented in the homeless population. During this event, volunteers will reflect on the challenges people experiencing homelessness face while navigating Seattle’s social service network and how we can make the services more accessible to everyone.
