Bellingham Food Bank

What Bellingham Food Bank does

Bellingham Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (legally Alternatives To Hunger, EIN 91-0918619) founded in 1972 in Bellingham, Washington. It operates a regional hunger-relief network serving Whatcom County, delivering free groceries to community members with no proof-of-address or ID requirements. The organization functions as both a direct service provider to the public and as the distribution warehouse and logistics backbone for the Whatcom County Food Bank Network, handling over 3 million pounds of food annually across partner food banks.

Three client-facing channels run from the 1824 Ellis St headquarters: the walk-in Free Grocery Program (Mon/Wed/Fri 10:00–6:00, up to three visits per week), the reservation-based Drive Thru Program (Tuesdays 3:30–6:30 with Basic, Latin American, Gluten Free, and Vegan pre-packed boxes), and the waitlisted Home Delivery Program (Fridays 9:00–3:00). A partner site operated with Catholic Community Services (CCSNW/Agape) in Lynden provides seasonal June–August distribution focused on agricultural workers and indigenous/Latino communities. Additional programs include a Gleaning volunteer produce-harvesting initiative (June–October), the Community Loaves bread partnership (4,000+ loaves received since 2021), a Pantry Needs donation program, and a Community Service Program for court-mandated hours.

Operations are funded through monetary donations (one-time, recurring, stock, and planned giving) and food donations sourced from national redistributors (Northwest Harvest, Food Lifeline), the Washington State Department of Agriculture, local farms prioritized for BIPOC growers (Mariposa, Cabrera Farms, Cooperativa Tierra y Libertad), and local grocers (Charlie's Produce, Trader Joe's, Avenue Bread). The organization runs with 19 paid staff supported by 150+ weekly volunteers, packs approximately 1,500 boxes per week on its Tuesday/Thursday assembly line, and serves up to 5,000 household visits per week. Mike Cohen serves as Executive Director.

Name

Bellingham Food Bank

Legal name

Alternatives To Hunger

Website

https://bellinghamfoodbank.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bellingham Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1972 in Bellingham, Washington, providing free groceries to Whatcom County residents through walk-in, drive-thru, and home delivery programs while serving as the regional distribution hub for the Whatcom County Food Bank Network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Bank Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community-Owned / Nonprofit Grocery Stores (CRAHALAB), Meal Kits & Recipe Box Delivery (CRAFAFAD)

Keywords

• Food bank services
• Hunger relief
• Food distribution
• Nonprofit assistance
• Grocer

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Monetary Donations: Most funding comes from community members through one-time and recurring donations. Accepts checks, bank bill pay, stock donations, and planned giving through wills.
2. Food Donations: Receives food donations from national redistributors, state programs, local farms, local grocers, food companies, and community organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bellingham Food Bank operates three direct-service food distribution programs—the Free Grocery Program (walk-in), the Drive Thru Program (reservation-based pre-packed boxes), and the Home Delivery Program (waitlist-based box delivery)—providing free groceries, fresh produce, dairy, frozen meat, and household supplies to community members in Whatcom County with no proof of address or ID requirements. The organization also serves as the regional distribution hub for the Whatcom County Food Bank Network, moving over 3 million pounds of food annually.

Product overview

Bellingham Food Bank operates as a nonprofit food assistance organization offering three core client-facing programs: the Free Grocery Program (walk-in grocery-style distribution), the Drive Thru Program (pre-packed box pickup), and the Home Delivery Program (box delivery service). The organization also runs a Gleaning Program for volunteer produce harvesting, a Community Drive Program for organized food drives, a Community Service Program for court-mandated hours, and provides educational resources through a Gardening Guide. Food boxes are available in four specialized types (Basic, Latin American, Gluten Free, Vegan) distributed through the Drive Thru and Home Delivery services. The Food Bank serves as a regional distribution hub for Whatcom County, handling over 3 million lbs. of food annually and operating the pantry needs donation program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Grocery Program Walk-in grocery-style program at 1824 Ellis St offering produce, frozen meat, milk, eggs, canned goods, diapers, baby formula, and menstrual supplies. Open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00–6:00 with no ID or reservation required. Visitors may shop up to three times per week.
• Drive Thru Program Reservation-based pre-packed box distribution service operating Tuesdays from 3:30–6:30. Boxes are available in four types: Basic, Latin American, Gluten Free, and Vegan. Located at the 1824 Ellis St warehouse with alley access via Kansas Street.
• Home Delivery Program Weekly or bi-weekly home delivery of pre-packed food boxes for community members who cannot access the Free Grocery or Drive Thru programs. Four box types are available with optional frozen meat add-on. Currently operating at capacity with a waiting list.
• Food Box Program (Basic, Latin American, Gluten Free, Vegan) Pre-packed food boxes in four specialized types distributed through Drive Thru and Home Delivery: Basic (vegetables, fruit, dry goods, dairy, frozen meat); Latin American (jalapenos, tomatillos, nopales, masa, dry beans); Gluten Free (GF dry goods); Vegan (plant-based dry goods, plant milks, plant proteins).
• Gleaning Program Volunteer-driven fresh produce harvesting from local farms, orchards, and backyard trees. Scheduled seasonally June through October with weekend shifts available. Participants register and sign up for shifts via email.
• Community Drive Program Organized food and monetary donation drives coordinated by community members, engaging friends and neighbors to support the food bank. Coordinated through Stephanie Sisson at the food bank's outreach office.
• Community Service Program Court, school, or employer-mandated community service hour completion program. Volunteers are placed on an on-call list for placements Monday through Friday, providing approximately 4 hours of service per week.
• Whatcom County Food Bank Network Distribution Regional wholesale distribution hub supplying over 3 million pounds of food annually to other food banks in the Whatcom County Food Bank Network.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000 household visits served per week
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Northwest HarvestcoreOthersNational redistributor supplying food to the Bellingham Food Bank warehouse for distribution to Whatcom County residents and other food banks in the network.
• Food LifelinecoreOthersNational redistributor supplying food to the Bellingham Food Bank for regional distribution.
• Washington State Department of AgriculturecoreOthersState agricultural agency providing food programs and support for food bank operations.
• Mariposa FarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal organic farm supplying fresh produce to the food bank. Part of local farm sourcing network.
• Cabrera FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal farm supplying fresh produce. Prioritized BIPOC grower for food sourcing.
• Cooperativa Tierra y LibertadminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative farm supplying produce. Prioritized BIPOC grower for food sourcing.
• Charlie's ProduceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal grocer providing grocery rescue or food purchases for distribution.
• Trader JoesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrocery chain participating in food rescue or donations to the food bank.
• Avenue BreadminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal bakery participating in food rescue or donations to the food bank.
• Community LoavescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity bread baking program providing fresh baked bread to the food bank. Since 2021, received over 4,000 loaves of bread from community bakers.
• Catholic Community Services (CCSNW/Agape)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner organization operating the Agape Food Bank at 501 14th St, Lynden, WA. Seasonal distribution (June-August, Wednesdays 10:30-6:00) focused on agricultural workers and indigenous/latino community.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Mary's Place: Washington-based nonprofit combining shelter with food and basic needs services; comparable in free-service, no-ID-required approach to food access for vulnerable populations in the broader WA ecosystem.
• Hopelink: King County social services nonprofit offering food assistance alongside housing and other support; comparable in non-eligibility-barrier approach and free-service model, though operating in a different WA county.

Direct peers

• Catholic Community Services of Western Washington: Active distribution partner of Bellingham Food Bank (operating Agape/CCSNW site in Lynden). Provides comparable social services including food assistance, and shares the same donor/ volunteer community in WA.
• Food Bank of the Rockies: Large regional food bank serving Colorado and Wyoming with mobile pantries, home delivery, and partner food bank distribution — closely mirrors Bellingham's three-channel model at significantly larger scale.
• Second Harvest Food Bank of the Inland Northwest: Regional food bank covering Eastern Washington and North Idaho with multi-channel distribution (mobile pantries, partner food banks, direct programs). Comparable mission, multi-county geography, and warehouse-distribution hub role.
• Oregon Food Bank: Pacific Northwest regional food bank network operating food distribution, gleaning, and nutrition programs across Oregon and SW Washington. Directly comparable multi-program food bank model with similar donor/ volunteer dynamics.
• Northwest Harvest: Washington state's largest food redistribution network; directly supplies Bellingham Food Bank as a national redistributor partner and operates the same hunger-relief mission across WA. Highly comparable in operating model, distribution logistics, and donor base.
• Food Lifeline: Western Washington food redistribution organization serving a network of food banks; current supplier to Bellingham Food Bank and the broader Whatcom County network. Directly comparable in food sourcing, warehousing, and regional distribution mission.
• Food for Lane County: Oregon-based food bank distributing millions of pounds annually through direct-service pantries, mobile distribution, and partner agencies — closely comparable operating model and community-driven structure.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America (national network): National umbrella network coordinating 200+ member food banks including those that supply Bellingham (Northwest Harvest, Food Lifeline). Comparable hunger-relief mission at vastly larger scale; provides industry context rather than direct competition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BellinghamFoodBank
• Instagraminstagram.com/bellinghamfoodbank

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bellingham Food Bank