Serving Those in Need

The Tri-Parish Food Bank is a cooperative effort of St. Charles Catholic Church in Burlington, Sacred Heart Catholic Church in La Conner, and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Mount Vernon. Each week many volunteers ensure that nutritious food is available to anyone who needs it. Additional partners are Skagit Community Action Agency, Northwest Harvest, and Food Lifeline.

In past years, the Food Bank hours changed from the summer through the winter as we hosted the Youth Migrant Project. Youth from all over the Archdiocese volunteer and spend much of their time preparing for the food distribution. Sadly, due to the COVID crisis we were unable to continue the project this summer but look forward to the project continuing next summer.

If you would like to donate to the food bank, we accept food donations Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Financial donations can be mailed to:

Tri-Parish Food Bank

935 Peterson Rd

Burlington, WA 98233

Questions?  Or if you would like to volunteer, contact Lilia Ortiz, TPFB Director, 360-610-1851

A Note from the Directors:

   "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible"- St. Francis of Assisi. When I read this quote, I am reminded of all the work we have done, are doing, and will continue to do. God has guided us to do the impossible-- to serve our community during this pandemic.

I am very appreciative to all the volunteers that make this food bank possible. We have a very active hands-on Board, fabulous donors and many volunteers that have been coming for years. Each have worked very hard every week and given so much to our food bank. I thank you for everything you do.

This past month, we have served over a thousand families per week and have been blessed to always have an abundance of food. Over the past few months, we have been able to give out over 30,000 masks. Thank you, Catholic Community Services for providing us with masks and the semi-truckload of food-- including dairy, meat, and vegetables-- each week.

We work closely with the Community Action Distribution Center. They have always supported us and have ensured we have enough food from the major food distributors such as Food Lifeline and for connecting us with state and federal programs such as EFAP and TEFAP. We are very thankful for the Burlington Fire Department for thinking of our furry friends during this pandemic. With their donations, we have been able to give pet food to about 200 families weekly. The Burlington Public Library have given us books and resources for the children to continue learning at home. They have organized types of books, websites, and information by grades K-10th to reach as many students as they can. Thank you for giving the students the gift of their education.

Thank you to all of our parishioners from Sacred Heart, St. Charles, and Immaculate Conception, and all of our community volunteers. From preparing boxes to ensuring our home-bound families receive food, you have helped us impeccably to serve our community. We are thankful for your time, prayers, and dedication.

And lastly, thank you to our clients. You have taught us how to be humble. To give to others, even when you, yourself are in need. You have prayed for and with us. Your strength helps us continue our mission. Without all of you, we could not do the impossible. Thank you,

Lilia Ortiz, Director of the TriParish Food Bank, 360-610-1851

TriParish Food Bank Directors

Lilia Ortiz 

Lilia@skagitcatholic.org