CJ Barkema moved to Mill Creek with his wife and two daughters about five and a half years ago. After living in the Portland area for a decade, the family had a short stay in North Carolina but wanted to return to the Northwest. “We were drawn to Mill Creek for many reasons, with the community being at the top of that list," CJ explains. "My wife found a professional opportunity, and we found our spiritual home early on at the Gold Creek Community Church." 

Although CJ had pursued a career as a financial advisor for over 17 years, he followed his beliefs and became a youth pastor at Gold Creek. Earlier this year, he joined the Hope Creek Charitable Foundation board, assuming responsibility for fundraising, capital projects, and forecasting the future needs of the community. The foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) that partners with individuals to meet basic human rights of food and shelter by fostering a robust community and practicing exceptional generosity, and the Mill Creek Food Bank and its associated services operate under its umbrella. As CJ points out, “This organization has an extremely strong heartbeat. I am always reminded of how much people love serving our Mill Creek community."

Currently, CJ is serving as interim Director of the Mill Creek Community Food Bank. When he and his family started volunteering here five years ago, it served around 60 families who "shopped" on Thursdays, with tents and portable units set up in the back parking lot of the church. But in the years since, there has been an explosive growth in need, as well as in the number of volunteers required, as they now serve over 400 families each week through their different operations.

 

The Food Bank itself (known as ‘The Market’) is still outdoors and offers a no-questions-asked grocery shopping experience where guests check-in, load grocery items into a shopping cart, and take them when they are done. As CJ explains, “We provide food bank staples to individuals and families, with dried foods and canned items as well as fresh food including produce, eggs, milk, and meat.” Shoppers are asked to register on the website so the organization can be prepared to meet demand. "We are the only standalone food bank in the county without a physical building to operate out of, and one day we would like to have one," he says.

 

The ‘Home Delivery’ program is associated with the food bank and is designed to serve those unable to travel because of either financial or physical hardship or disability, while on Wednesday mornings an assisted shopping option is offered for those who might find standing in line on Thursdays difficult. 

The ‘Backpacks of Hope’ program supports students experiencing food insecurity, providing food for seven meals to sustain them over the weekend. It operates in 19 schools across three school districts, reaching over 600 students weekly. As CJ looks ahead, he says, “We are dedicated to expanding our reach and impact. There are many more children in our area experiencing hunger, and we are committed to helping them in any way we can.”

 

The Food Bank participates in the Snohomish County Food Bank Coalition with 19 other local food banks, working to secure state and federal government funds. The team at Hope Creek coordinates contracts with government entities and the Volunteers of America to procure, warehouse, and distribute the food. Individuals are encouraged to volunteer or donate either financially or with food, household supplies, diapers, care products, and more.

 

In the past, the Food Bank has offered a Saturday giveaway of a complete Thanksgiving and Christmas meal to anyone in the local community - with as many as 1,500 households participating. This year, efforts and resources will be focused on regular, registered weekly service customers who have the greatest need.

 

Over 100 volunteers are needed every week in various roles, and more than half of them are "extremely regular" according to CJ. Todd Henrichsen is one of those long-time, regular volunteers who says, “I love how serving the food bank provides me a way to give back to my neighbors in a meaningful way every week.”