Rainier Valley Food Bank

Love the selection of foods you receive at the RVFB and the people working do their best make thing clean and fast service. If you in the Columbia City area you better Check out Wednesday and Saturday because you'll leave hands and bags full...

I waited and waited and they talk talking and just completely ignored me. And then there's the one time two of them were complaining about how some of us are only looking for hand outs and another time when I was given a sandwich that was all dried up but worse than that both the cheese and bread were moldy. I believe that they have a bias towards the homeless types, and favor people who are housed.

The Rainier valley food bank ranks at the top. They actually care about their clients. One day someone stole my delivery and they promptly replaced it! I live in an area that is well known for people getting delivery's stolen and being a senior I don't get around that much. Iam amazed at the way they help the community and appreciate them so much! Thank you RVF for all that you do..

They really do care they really do I appreciate them thank you

I went there today at 10:15. Nobody outside. Everybody was sitting inside in a meeting. That's fine. They said lunch around back, cool. Got out back. Nobody in sight and closed doors. I knocked and no response. Your signs say lunch 10:00 am to 2:00. Or until gone. So you guys serve lunch for what? 5 to 10 minutes?

These guys do amazing work on a shoestring budget. Anyting you can do to help them out would be greatly appreciated. And if you're finding yourself low on food don't be too prideful to stop by and talk to them. They can provide you with resources that you probably didn't even know we're out there.

No longer accepting donations on Saturdays, during construction they accept donations Monday-Friday 9 am - 2 pm (or check their website for current drop-off times)

If you may have lost your job or going through hard times this place helps you out food wise .. great staff and good food as well. It's helped me many of times. Very grateful to them.

Great good great volunteers they deserve medals Otis rocks deserves a vacation lol party today there 2 to 5 come down

Note: this review and rating is from a volunteer's perspective from fall 2010. I volunteered at this food bank for several weeks. It takes a few tries before really learning the ropes of this place, because the system is so disorganized. There are particular stations (ex. drinks, desserts, poultry, grains, canned goods, etc) that majority of the volunteers covered, and basically clients got in a line and circled around the facility, grabbing an item from each station. Volunteers only assisted people when clients couldn't reach at item. Other volunteers were the receptionist, who checked every client in, people who restocked the inventory or ran food drives in front of grocery stores. Cons: -the place is VERY small and with so many clients piling in, it gets cramped very quickly -as a volunteer, I feel like I'm not contributing anything at all; yes, some clients were grateful I was there, but I myself felt to gratitude -the permanent volunteers are very rude, bossy, and kind of like bullies (some of these volunteers claimed certain stations, not giving others a chance to be there) -the system is very disorganized. I had to figure out what I was supposed to do for myself. Here's a bit of how the system works: 1. The receptionist checks clients in 2. Clients go around to each station, grabbing 1-3 items, depending on the number in their household

A great food bank. The volunteers are with it. The clients are wonderful! Come out on either side.

Nearly a year has past since my first visit to Rainier Valley Food Bank. A lot has changed in the past year. Yes, I still need to supplement my food budget and it is still difficult for me to admit that to myself but I have now become a volunteer there and I see the food bank with a different perspective. The staff is dedicated to the overwhelming job of meeting the needs of the hungry. Many volunteers show up on a regular basis for no other reason than to give to the community. Any day the food bank is open shows a frenzy of preparation sorting donated items, stocking shelves, repackaging large amounts of some items into family or individual sized bags, distributing food and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. More and better training of volunteers and the way the waiting line is managed make the wait less unfriendly than a year ago. So yes, if I am hungry I will go to the food bank and I will find it much easier to overlook the sins of the few and focus on the goodwill of the many. After all, 11,000 people who show up there every month can't all be wrong. Atta boy Rainier Valley Food Bank! Thanks for being there for those of us in need.

I just started volunteering here, and my experience couldn't be better! The new staff is really dedicated and hard working, and they are doing a lot with a very small budget. I always have a great time when I work here, and they're feeding 11,000 people every month, so I am seeing my contributions really working, both in terms of time and money. Definitely worth the investment, for me and for my neighbors who benefit. The line out the door on Saturdays is huge!!!

I have been volunteering pretty regularly with RVFB over the last three years. When I first started there, the place was a bit of a mess. But since they hired the new Executive Director, things have gotten so much better. It seems like a miracle that they can get so many people through that tiny building and provide everyone with healthy, high quality food. People don't always get exactly what they want, but they always get something healthy and nutritious. I really enjoy the people I volunteer with and I'm so glad to be working with a group that does so much to support my community.