PHOTO: Judy with a few of her Monday team members (From left: Val Tinker, Anne Madsen, Judy, and Bonnie Nicholson).
“I remember the first time I volunteered at the food bank. It was a Monday morning and I knocked on the front door and Bob Eiene answered. He put me to work sorting and displaying a stack of banana boxes full of bread and he was so welcoming and chatty that I was hooked,” shared Judy. She added, “From then on, Monday morning was my favorite time to volunteer.
We always kept a core group of about eight volunteers through the years, sharing ups and downs and funny stories.”
Driven by her belief that no one should go hungry, Judy came to us in response to an ad in the Issaquah Press 24 years ago. Little did she know that this would quickly replace her career, post-retirement from Boeing, with her dedicating multiple days each week and becoming an invaluable asset to our organization and the volunteers who’ve had the privilege to work alongside her. Judy remembered, “I went from being the ‘newbie’ to sharing my role and advice with others. Funny thing, the new volunteers take your advice on processes and improve on them. I am thankful for their observations and suggestions; it makes our workflow better and our jobs easier. I have always felt that the staff respects and listens to our suggestions.”
From Judy’s perspective, “It’s gone by really fast because we come here, and we have fun. Turning on the music and working with the many dedicated and talented volunteers of diverse backgrounds inspires me to do my best. We share the hard work and goal of providing nutritious food for our clients and that makes me happy. The work is fun and satisfying,” she added.
Judy’s longevity makes her even more effective in her various roles, and she wears many hats. Operations Manager Kim Skok shared, “Judy is always ready to take on new things like working with me and her hubby to paint the entryway and to come up with ways to decorate it for the seasons. Additionally, every week she comes and picks up the laundry/dirty towels and brings them back freshly washed. That is just the tip of the iceberg of ways she donates her time!”
Judy has always been especially committed to her teams of volunteers over the years. “The people are great and they’re so dedicated and so giving of themselves,” shared Judy. “I enjoy making cookies for the team and decorating the reception area for the seasons and holidays. Usually, I’m working the morning shift in the receiving and staging process, but I especially enjoy working the afternoon shift when clients are shopping — that’s the special reward. Talking to clients, smiling at their cute kids, watching their faces, and seeing how grateful they are that we care, it just keeps me coming back. You can see our hard work and dedication are making a difference in their lives,” explained Judy.
While reflecting on those who may be new to considering giving of their time and resources to support this work, Judy simply said, “For anyone thinking of donating their time or money, come and visit the food bank and see our workday and how you can contribute and participate in our community.” And, like thousands in our community who have been deeply connected to this work, she is excited for what the future holds, sharing, “My hope for the future of the [food bank] is to expand in a bigger and more suitable building.” We look forward to the day that Judy can see this long-time dream come to fruition.
Judy is a shining example of the heart and values behind what Bob Gray started at the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank 53 years ago. The countless number of lives she has positively impacted in her 24 years is a gift to our community and we are richer for her service!
This story is featured in our 2023 Impact Report. Read the full report here!