Bonney Lake Food Bank Wins $50,000 Grant With Community Support

BONNEY LAKE, WA — The Bonney Lake Food Bank has secured a $50,000 grant, thanks to an outpouring of community support which helped it win a BECU promotion.

Back in November, Bonney Lake Food Bank's Vice President Teri Hochstein became a finalist to win the BECU People Helping People Grant. But in order to secure the prize, the Food Bank had to beat out 18 more organizations through a popular vote— so they called on the community for support, who showed up in spades.

Now that it has won the prize, the food bank says this much needed funding will go straight back towards helping East Pierce County's most vulnerable residents.

"This win was such a huge surprise to us!" reads the food bank's latest Facebook post. "We stood beside some incredible organizations that are just as deserving as us. Thank you to the community members that voted and made this happen!!!"

That money will be invaluable as the food bank continues to adapt to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last November, food bank organizers told The News Tribune the need for food in East Pierce County had skyrocketed, and that they had gone from serving 150 families per week to more than a thousand.

>> Learn more about the Bonney Lake Food Bank.