VOA Leases Arlington Haggen Building to Expand Food Distribution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

5.15.2020

VOA Leases Arlington Haggen Building to Expand Food Distribution

Six-month lease increases capacity to feed Snohomish County residents.

Arlington, WA—May 15th, 2020. Today Volunteers of American Western Washington (VOA)

announced a dramatic expansion of its hunger prevention work to meet the increasing demand at

Snohomish County food banks as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.

As unemployment grows, state officials now estimate that as many as 23 percent of Washington

residents will face food insecurity. To respond to the increasing need, VOA has expanded its

hunger prevention work with the opening of a new food pantry on Casino Road in South Everett

and leasing of the Haggen building to increase distribution capacity. VOA acts as the primary

distribution center for the three VOA operated food banks as well as Snohomish County’s Food

Bank Coalition, which includes 18 food banks and 21 meal sites countywide.

Soon after the COVID-19 crisis began, Senior Director of Hunger Prevention Chris Hatch

realized that VOA’s infrastructure was insufficient. “As I saw demand double or triple at our food

banks and watched the rate of unemployment grow, I knew we needed to think bigger to serve the

need.”

Chief Operating Officer Brian Smith coordinated a six-month lease for the vacant Haggen

building in Arlington, a 64,000 sq ft space which significantly increases VOA’s capacity. As a

result of the new space, VOA can receive and ship out an additional 500 pallets of food each week

from Food Lifeline.

“We are facing community need on a scale never before seen. We are incredibly blessed to be

able to remove some of the challenges facing Snohomish County residents.” says COO Smith.