Operations

The St. Leo Food Connection is a program of St. Leo Catholic Parish and has been fighting hunger in Pierce County for almost 30 years. Begun as a small neighborhood food bank in a garage in 1982, the St. Leo Food Connection now operates one the largest food banks in Pierce County, the weekly Springbrook Mobile Food Bank, the Backpack Program that provides two days' worth of healthy, kid-friendly food to more than 430 Tacoma public school students every Friday throughout the school year, numerous Summer Meals sites in Tacoma, Lakewood and Burlington that provide a sack lunch and snack to children on weekdays throughout the summer, an organic fruit orchard, an on-site community  garden, and helps staff the Pierce County Gleaning Project.

The goal of both the St. Leo Food Bank and the Springbrook Mobile Food Bank is to provide our clients with enough food for three meals per day for three days for everyone in their household. Clients can come to either food bank once a week throughout the year.

Where Does the Food Come From?

Food is collected from supermarkets, food wholesalers and distributors, restaurants and farms, as well as from surplus and emergency food warehouses. Food is also made available through church and civic food drives, purchases by the St. Leo Food Connection, and gifts from concerned individuals.

Who Runs the Day-to-Day Operations?

The St. Leo Food Connection has a staff of eight and relies on the ongoing support of hundreds of volunteers who collect, process, and distribute the food we provide our clients.

The St. Leo Food Connection is a project of St. Leo Parish, and our operations are overseen by its director with the support of the Food Connection Commission.