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Our board and staff lead a dedicated group of volunteers to achieve the mission of the Edmonds Food Bank.
Casey began working at the Edmonds Food Bank in 2018. She uses her background in business and degrees from the College of William and Mary (BBA) and Johns Hopkins University (MAS) to support the journey toward food security in Edmonds. In 2022 she earned a Master’s in Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle University. Married for twenty-seven years, Casey and her husband Steve have two grown children. She is a member of the Edmonds Lions Club, Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, and Edmonds Petanque Club.
Lester is originally from the beautiful colonial city of Granada, Nicaragua. After over sixteen years of work with nonprofit organizations and community health programs around Central America, the past seven years of which he lived in Guatemala, Lester moved to Edmonds in May of 2021 with his wife Kim and their young son. Lester is also an English–Spanish medical interpreter, using skills cultivated throughout his years of work in the community clinic setting. In his free time, he corresponds with his seven-year-old daughter who lives in Denmark, trains Brazilian jiujitsu, goes hiking with his wife and son, cooks delicious Nicaraguan food, and reads both the news and Spanish novels of magical realism. Lester truly enjoys contributing to his community and helping people from different backgrounds, nationalities, and cultures. He is thrilled to be part of the team at the Edmonds Food Bank.
Andrew started working with the Edmonds Food Bank in June 2021. After graduating from Valparaiso University with degrees in Global Service and Humanities, Andrew served in the Peace Corps and Sierra Leone, followed by spending a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA and helping to open a new food pantry with the Blackfeet Nation in Montana. He has two dogs (so far), Rose and Kiaayo, and enjoys spending time hiking and exploring Washington with his wife, Magen.
Like many of us, Gabrielle first worked with the food bank as a volunteer. She began full-time employment in 2021, after the Edmonds Food Bank became a 501(c)3. Gabrielle grew up in Port Angeles, Washington, went to the University of Washington and earned a master’s degree in teaching from City University of Seattle. She taught for ten years and substituted at Maplewood K–8 for fifteen years while raising her two daughters who are now in college. She loves animals, is a lifelong learner and enjoys gardening, travel, and dance. Gabrielle says, “I want to give back in any way that I can, and my heart has always been dedicated to service and helping those facing challenges beyond what I have experienced. I feel fortunate every single day that I have been given the opportunity to help our local community take on food insecurity.”
Kellie joined our staff after working as a volunteer with the Edmonds Food Bank for two years. She holds a degree in Communication and a minor in Latin American Studies. Her work experience includes community organizing, event planning and advising high school and college students. Kellie enjoys spending time with her partner and two young children, working on her Spanish language skills, following her beloved Seattle Mariners and nurturing community in her neighborhood.
Tracey and her family moved from Colorado to Edmonds, WA, in 2006. After raising her daughters, she became a paraeducator with the Edmonds School District working in the VOICE Program. It was during this time she saw food insecurity among families in the area. After completing a contract at Microsoft, she began volunteering at the Edmonds Food Bank in January 2023. Little did she know that would lead to her being hired! Tracey can be found at the EFB booth at Edmonds Summer Market every Saturday from May to October, as well as walking the waterfront with friends every chance she gets. In her free time, she enjoys visiting her daughters in Bellingham while they attend Western Washington University, playing with her two Great Pyrenees, quilting, and exploring the Pacific Northwest.
Yuliia joined our team after working with Edmonds Community College’s food pantry. She initially volunteered for the food bank as a document translator (Ukrainian and Russian) and food sorter. Yuliia came to the United States from Ukraine in 2017. She has two daughters with whom she loves to spend time. They play board games, read children’s books, and love outdoor activities. Yuliia likes gardening and enjoys walking. She likes working with people and loves animals—her family has two cats that she brought here from Ukraine!
Since retiring, Pat Shields has been actively involved in numerous local non-profit organizations, including the Hazel Miller Foundation as chair, the Edmonds Rotary where he held various roles, including President, and a ten-year tenure as an elected Edmonds School Board Director. Pat has five grown children who all reside in the Seattle area. As Chair of the Board of Directors, Pat serves as a partner with the Executive Director in achieving EFB’s mission. He provides leadership to the Board of Directors, chairing Board meetings and encouraging the Board’s role in strategic planning. He plays a leading role in fundraising activities, monitors financial planning and reports, and formally evaluates the performance of the Executive Director and of the EFB in achieving its mission.
When Kathy Hare attended Woodway High School (class of 1974!) her family would come to Edmonds Methodist Church and help package Thanksgiving dinner boxes. A few years later, Kathy and her husband moved to Edmonds. She knew that when she retired from her meaningful work as a hospital administrator that she wanted to find a way to give back to the community. After two years as a volunteer she joined the Edmonds Food Bank Board. In addition to her work at the food bank she is a doting Nana to seven grandchildren and wife to her husband of 42 years.
Peggy Sanders practices in Edmonds, focusing on the legal needs of elders and their families. Peggy has been a member of the Washington State Bar since 1996. Peggy is a member of the Elder Law Section of the Washington State Bar Association. She is also a member of the Snohomish County and King County Bar Associations.
Peggy joined the Board of Directors of the Edmonds Food Bank to help this important organization address food insecurity in our neighborhoods. Inflation and the skyrocketing prices of homes with the resulting increases in property taxes have resulted in people experiencing food insecurity who never thought they would be in that situation.
After a trip to Seattle in 1996, Peggy fell in love with Washington State. She has lived in the Seattle area for over 25 years and has served at both the state and local government level, most recently crafting legislation for King and Snohomish Counties. Peggy lives in Edmonds with her husband Ralph.
While originally from Michigan, Ashley Davis has made Washington her home for the past 15 years, many of which she has spent in the financial banking industry. She has fully embraced the Edmonds Community for over a dozen years, often volunteering for nonprofits such as the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, YWCA, Run to Win Outreach, and others. She believes in making a difference where you can and feels honored to be a member of the Edmonds Food Bank Board.
Growing up in an immigrant family, Leonor Bejarano has a deep understanding of the daily challenges that numerous individuals encounter, particularly when it comes to effectively communicating their needs for essential resources. In her role as a Community Resource Navigator, Leonor is dedicated to assisting countless families and individuals to overcome these barriers, ensuring they gain access to the essential support that should be accessible to all.
Leonor supports the Edmonds Food Bank because they are providing access to many diverse families and allowing them to choose from an online form to reduce the amount of waste and provide them with food that is needed for their families. She believes EFB is working towards food justice in our community because the food bank wants to ensure that the community is allowed access to healthy, culturally appropriate food. The thought of being able to have access to nutritious food not only allows a customer to feel supported, but they are having less stress put upon them; the cost of living is only increasing, and job wages are not moving at the same speed. The Edmonds Food Bank is a place for everyone and will continue to be accessible for all.
Joomi Kim has served as executive director of the Korean Community Service Center for the last 7 years of the organization’s 39-year history of serving the Korean American community in the greater Seattle metropolitan area. After graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in biology, Joomi worked in real estate and film production before finding her calling in the non-profit sector where she has put her talents to use in planning, budgeting, and implementing community services and programs. Beyond leading KCSC, Joomi’s deep commitment to the Korean American community is expressed by her tireless volunteer service as an interpreter/translator and as a church leader. In the wider world, Joomi serves on the City of Edmonds Homeless Task Force and as a board member of the Edmonds Food Bank.
Judge Whitney Rivera was appointed as the Edmonds Municipal Court Judge in November, 2020. Judge Rivera grew up in Edmonds and graduated from Edmonds Woodway High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and literature from the University of Washington. She earned her Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School, where she worked as a student attorney at the Boston College Defenders representing clients charged with criminal offenses in Dorchester District Court.
After law school, Judge Rivera worked as a law clerk for Judge Anita L. Farris in the Snohomish County Superior Court. She served as both a trial and appellate public defender, arguing cases at various levels. Later, she supervised the misdemeanor unit at the Snohomish County Public Defender Association and received multiple awards from the Washington Defender Association. She practiced law in Snohomish County for 13 years before her appointment to the bench.
Judge Rivera is an avid runner and lives in Edmonds with her long-time partner, Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Paul Thompson, and their three rescue dogs.
Debbie Ryden moved to Washington state from beautiful Hawaii 45 years ago to attend college. Among her many careers, she worked in healthcare, real estate and leased a snackbar in a bingo hall. Debbie is now retired. Over 20 years ago, Debbie brought a relative to the food bank for food and met a passionate volunteer named Anne who warmly introduced her to the Director at that time, Peggy Kennedy. Debbie was deeply impacted by that interaction and since then has worn many hats over the last 20 years as an active volunteer at the Edmonds Food Bank.
