Pantry Packs

Hunger shouldn’t stand in the way of learning.

Pantry Packs, offered by the Lake Washington Schools Foundation, provides weekend food packs to over 1,100 food-insecure LWSD students each week.

When kids don’t get enough to eat, they can’t concentrate and they can’t learn. Teachers tell of students excited to be at school on Mondays because they can eat there through federal programs. But these same children in the Lake Washington School District (LWSD) often go hungry on weekends or during school breaks.

With community donations of time, funds and kid-friendly food, volunteers come together each month to “pack the packs.” Volunteer drivers then deliver the packs to more than 43 participating schools, and each week school coordinators distribute the packs to hungry children in preschool through high school. Throughout the school year, Pantry Packs demonstrates how volunteers, schools and the community work together to help children in our area. For more information, email [email protected].

Pantry Packs operates during the months of September to June.

Submit the Volunteer Notification Form to be notified of future volunteer opportunities!

You Can Help

Make a Monetary Donation

We welcome the donation of funds to purchase the food we need at the best possible price.

$8.50 per month buys a single pack of food for a LWSD student.
$35 per month sponsors a single student’s monthly supply of packs.

You may donate online or mail a check written to “LWSF-Pantry Packs” to:

Lake Washington Schools Foundation
PO Box 83
Redmond, WA 98073

Remember your donations may be matched by your employer. Please consider making a recurring donation … because hunger is recurring!

Donate Online

Donate Food Directly Via Amazon Wish List

You can donate food directly via our Amazon Wish List . Simply order the food items you wish to donate and your order will be shipped directly to Lake Washington Schools Foundation and designated for Pantry Pack’s use! Some items even have an optional “subscribe and save” option to set a recurring donation. Remember to include your name and email address in the “note” so that we can properly record your donation and issue you a receipt.

Wish List

Organize a Food Drive

Organizing a food drive is a powerful way to support Pantry Packs and help ensure more than 1,100 LWSD students receive food packs every weekend. Whether you’re planning a traditional collection, a one-day or competitive drive, a grocery store event, or a virtual food drive using our Amazon Wish List, we’ve put together a step-by-step toolkit to help you succeed. You’ll find tips for planning, promoting, collecting, sorting, and delivering donations, plus downloadable tools like our, printable toolkit, Kid-Friendly Food List, and flyer template.

Food Drive Toolkit

Don’t forget to let us know your plans at [email protected].

Pack The Packs

Join other volunteers in assembling Pantry Packs, or at a prepping event to unpack the food. Bring a friend. Bring your middle and high schoolers for community service hours. Bring a PTA/PTSA. Bring a scout troop. Bring a school honors club. Student volunteers over 8 must be accompanied by a participating adult, and all volunteers must sign up online to participate. Due to warehouse safety issues children under eight are not allowed during packing sessions. Submit the Volunteer Notification Form to be notified of future volunteer opportunities as they arise.

Email [email protected] with any questions.

Volunteer

Fred Meyer Community Rewards

Every time you shop at Fred Meyer and use your Fred Meyer rewards card (that has been linked to the “Lake Washington Schools Foundation”), a donation will be made to the Foundation and the Pantry Packs program. There are no charges to you, or changes to your other Fred Meyer reward benefits.

If you already have a rewards card you can link your Rewards Card here.

If not, please consider signing up for a Rewards card and linking it to the LAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOLS FOUNDATION.

Know a child who could benefit from additional weekend food?

Talk to your school’s counselor for any referrals to the Pantry Packs Program.

Our Volunteer Leadership Team

Allison Dunmire, Mako Guest, Colleen Rutherford, Erin Schadt, Tanya Scharpenberg, and Shannon Schill

This is the most efficient, well-run, well-managed Pantry Packs program. I was very impressed seeing the quality of food going out and how organized it is—especially considering it’s such a huge endeavor to take on every week.

Stacey O’Brien, School Counselor at Ben Franklin Elementary School

When a student tells me thank you, I think of the immense work behind the scenes—volunteers, donors, warehouse staff—and I want them to hear that thank you too.

Megan Melby, School Counselor at Juanita Elementary School