A Fruitful Partnership with Sumner Community Food Bank

In Sumner, Washington—a small town about an hour south of Seattle—there’s a grocery store that’s entirely free.

“You make an appointment, you check in at our kiosk, and then you’re given a shopping cart and you can stroll through our shopping area and pick the foods that you want, depending on what’s available,” explained Bill Petersen. “There are limits on some items that we have to have, but it’s a full range of canned goods, dry goods, deli, produce, fruit, and bakery items.”

That store is the Sumner Community Food Bank (SCFB), and Bill is its warehouse manager. The nonprofit food bank serves about 675 families every week, including parents with young kids, seniors, and refugees from the Russia-Ukraine war.

Bill said the grocery store setup “adds just a little touch of dignity to the shopping experience”—and donors like The FruitGuys make it possible.

40,000+ Pounds of Food Donated

In 2024, The FruitGuys’ clients helped us donate 20,100 pounds of food to support SCFB’s mission. And we’ve donated 21,334 pounds so far in 2025! Our partners at Food Connect Group help get leftover produce from our Seattle facility to SCFB every week, and our clients can also donate boxes of fruit and snacks to them directly through our Donate-a-Crate program.

“About a year and a half ago, Food Connect started delivering a pallet of food once a week. Now we routinely pick up one or two pallets a week from them. And it’s all fresh! It’s primarily produce, and it’s good to get,” Bill told The FruitGuys.

Produce is a popular option in SCFB’s free store. Bill said the refugees it serves are particularly excited about fresh beets and cabbage, which likely remind them of home.

Powering Through The 2025 Shutdown

The FruitGuys spoke to Bill during the fall 2025 government shutdown, which was the longest in US history. For 43 days, federal employees worked without pay, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients didn’t receive checks.

Up to 50 new families registered for SCFB’s services every day during the shutdown. There were more people who needed help than there were appointments available. Luckily, Bill said, “private donations skyrocketed both in food and in money” to help fulfill the need. SCFB put together bags of canned and dry goods and handed them out to people who couldn’t make appointments to shop the store.

“We don’t want anybody to leave without something. They come here for food, and they’re going to get some food anyway,” he said.

More Than a Food Bank

SCFB provides food to people in need across Western Washington and has fed people from more than 45 cities. It also shares large donations (like entire truckloads of asparagus) with other hunger relief organizations nearby, primarily in Pierce, King, and Thurston counties.

“I think a lot of people are surprised at the volume that we put through here. Last year, we pushed through 4.2 million pounds of food. And this is a small town!” Bill said.

But that’s not all that SCFB does for the community. It also offers free monthly dental checkups and job searching support, and its team connects people in need with other services nearby, like help with affordable housing.

Bill has worked at SCFB for seven years now. He started as a volunteer and then became the warehouse manager. He said the work gives him a chance to socialize, and it’s rewarding, too.

“This is a very satisfying job, because you get to help people in need. We get a lot of thanks in a lot of ways from the folks. Sometimes it’s a hug and a thank you,” he said.

A Fruitful Partnership

The FruitGuys is proud to support SCFB through our weekly donations. We’re so grateful to our clients for making them possible, and for supporting SCFB and other hunger relief organizations by “fruiting it forward” with our Donate-a-Crate program.

“The FruitGuys is proud to support SCFB and help make fresh produce accessible to those in need, and we’re grateful to Food Connect for partnering with us to ensure donations are delivered where they’re needed most,” said Sheila Cassani, The FruitGuys’ head of impact.

“We’re just very grateful for Food Connect. I’m not sure how they found us. They just started delivering food, and I was pleased to see that and how we’ve grown that relationship,” Bill said.

How You Can Help

If you’re a client of The FruitGuys, you’re already supporting our GoodWorks efforts—including our weekly donations to SCFB—with every box of fruit and snacks that you purchase! If you’re not a client yet, you can support SCFB by shopping our curated fruit and snack mixes that give back. They’re perfect for office break rooms, homes, and schools.

You can also make a gift to SCFB directly through our Donate-a-Crate program. Donate-a-Crate makes it easy to send a box of produce, snacks, or both directly to a hunger relief partner near you. You can forward a recurring delivery when your office closes for the holidays, or donate a box any time of year.

Thank you for your generosity and support!