By: Kellie Lewis, Marketing & Communication Manager
June 5,2026
Our team has been working hard every step of the way as we continue moving forward with our capital campaign to build a new Edmonds Food Bank. Lining up chairs, printing materials, creating runs of show for informational events, writing press releases, explaining the need. Explaining the need again. And then doing it again.
And in the middle of all that hustle, we find ourselves in tears at any given moment.
Yesterday brought one of those moments as we held our first Community Meeting at the food bank to share the vision behind our Community 555 Campaign.
Earlier that day, the food bank floor was set up like a grocery store, volunteers filling customized orders for our home delivery program. Hours later, the floor was cleared and guest chairs sat where onion peel debris had been just hours earlier. The food bank changes by the hour to adapt to the needs of the space.
That morning, our Senior Programs Manager, Lester Almanza, walked through the doors of the food bank, the sound of the pallet jack beep preceding him. As he pushed pallets of food to be organized, he said, “I am thinking about the idea of change today. I think I will talk about it at the capital campaign meeting tonight.”
Lester, who immigrated to this country, is no stranger to change. He has learned that adapting to change is what has made him a stronger and more resilient person. He believes the same is true for the Edmonds Food Bank.
“When I started working here five years ago, we served 300 households every week. Now we are serving 1,600 households. Our food bank is changing, our community’s needs are changing, so our building has to change too,” he shared with attendees that evening.
As Lester was talking through his ideas about change with our team that morning, our Director of Development, Jeremy Peck, said, “I’m going to look up what 555 means in numerology.”
A few moments later, his eyes grew misty as he read aloud:
“Change is shaking up your life. Embrace shifts with an open mind so you can break free from old patterns and limiting beliefs. 555 is about making space for new possibilities and creating a more fulfilling and dynamic path.”
There were tears around the table as we sat and absorbed how closely those words aligned with our Community 555 Campaign.
Because this campaign is about change.
It is about making space for new possibilities. It is about creating a better way of taking care of each other. It is about ensuring the Edmonds Food Bank can continue adapting to meet the needs of our community for years to come.
Through the Community 555 Campaign, we are asking 555 donors to step forward and commit to making our new home a reality. It is a vulnerable ask. An ask rooted in trust.
Trust that together we can embrace a change that will make our community stronger.
There is so much heart behind this work. A staff and board that believes deeply in this mission. A community that continues to show up. And a shared belief that the future of the Edmonds Food Bank can have even greater impact.
Yesterday’s meeting reminded us that while change can be difficult, it can also be hopeful. And sometimes, if we’re lucky, it can bring us all to tears for exactly the right reasons.
