Roxana Boroujerdi pictured at the North Sound Tower in Everett. Photo by Mikayla Finnerty.
EVERETT, FEB. 26: Faith Lutheran Food Bank in Everett started with the simple goal of serving around 10 families. Now, nearly 12 years later, it supports more than 200 vehicles with essential resources every Friday.
Roxana Boroujerdi, the food bank‘s Executive Director, has been leading the effort since its inception. Nominated by Dawn Myers, a Fred Meyer employee on Evergreen Way, Boroujerdi’s dedication has left a lasting impression.
“She works tirelessly looking for donations for her food bank to help the 200 plus cars that come through there every week in just a couple of short hours on Fridays….,” Myers said. “I often ask her where she gets the energy to just go nonstop every day. She always tells me ‘Nobody should have to go hungry.’”
Boroujerdi’s connection with Fred Meyer dates back nearly a decade, when she first reached out to the store for donations. Myers has supported the Faith Lutheran Food Bank ever since, helping provide necessary food.
“We are really lucky that we have a lot of community support,” Boroujerdi said.
Faith Lutheran Church, 6708 Cady Rd, allowed Boroujerdi to use the 100-square-foot building near the church for the food bank. Now she operates with 2,000 square feet of space after years of growth.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the food bank adapted by launching a drive-thru service, the first of its kind in the area, as many people could no longer enter the facility.
Most of the food is distributed on Fridays between 10:30 a.m. and 12 p.m., with walk-ups allowed from 11 a.m. to noon. On Tuesdays, the food bank also hosts a free community meal from 5 to 6 p.m.
Roughly 20 volunteers hand out food and other essential resources. Most of the food provided is from Food Lifeline, a charity organization that helps to feed people experiencing hunger.
Last year the food bank received 284,000 pounds of food from Food Lifeline.
Before running the food bank, Boroujerdi worked as a case manager for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), where she helped people access food stamps.
“There’s a lot of reasons why people couldn’t get food stamps, so when I retired, I decided that I was going to take care of all those people who couldn’t get the stamps, and find them food somehow,” Boroujerdi said.
Born and raised in Bakersfield, California, Boroujerdi comes from a family with a deep history in public service. After college, her mother helped her secure a job at the Welfare Department. Growing up, there were no food stamps, only government commodities, which her mother would distribute.
Boroujerdi attributes her passion for community service to her mother.
“My mom would load up her car with government cheese and beans and all of those things and then me and my two sisters, and my mom, would drive to her client’s house and we would jump out and put the food on the front door,” Boroujerdi said.
Boroujerdi continues to work toward expanding the food bank’s impact and is currently seeking funding for a food delivery system for individuals unable to visit the food bank in person.
“I don’t know a bigger hero than her,” Myers said.
Hometown Hero is a promotion from radio stations Everett’s Greatest Hits KRKO and Classic Country KXA. Each month the stations celebrates an individual making a difference in the community and gives them a $100 Visa gift as a small token of appreciation. Presented by Eden Health. If you would like to nominate a Hometown Hero, see here.
发表回复