information from Ballard Food Bank

 After a lengthy search, Ballard Food Bank has agreed to purchase the property located on the corner of 14thAvenue NW and Leary Way NW. The nonprofit will construct a new building to house its grocery-style food bank and Community Research Hub. The new space, just a few blocks from its current location, will open in 2021.

“We are excited to have found our permanent home,” said Ballard Food Bank Executive Director Jen Muzia. “The new building will be a vital community resource where our neighbors can get the food, hope, and dignity that they deserve. Creating a welcoming, innovative space for the people we serve is our number one priority.”

The nonprofit will move before October 2021, when the lease on its current location at 5130 Leary Avenue NW ends. In the new space, clients will be able to shop for food in an expanded, grocery-style food bank and access an array of social services at its Community Resource Hub. The Hub – a key part of the Food Bank’s strategy to prevent homelessness – provides clients with financial assistance and allows them to work with a growing number of partners that offer housing, mental health care, veterans’ benefits, and other services.

“Ballard needs the Food Bank – they’re a cornerstone of this community. Thousands of our neighbors rely on them for food and hope. With growing inequity in our city and the ‘hidden poverty’ of most neighborhoods, the Food Bank’s work is more important than ever,” explained award-winner Seattle Chef Ethan Stowell, a longtime supporter of the Ballard Food Bank.

The property purchase caps off months of work to secure a location in Seattle’s tight real estate market. “We are thrilled to stay in the neighborhood, and we look forward to sharing more information about our new home soon,” said Muzia.