Joe Tice walks from table to table as he visits with the dinner guests.
“Watch out for her, she’s a sassy one,” Tice said of one woman.
“What, no hug tonight?” Tice asked a couple of children as they showed up with their families for dinner.
A similar scene repeats itself every Tuesday evening, as an average of 145 to 185 people attend a free dinner offered by the non-profit Tukwila Pantry in a room at the Riverton Park United Methodist Church.
Organized by Tice, the meal has become a staple to those in need.
“It’s a wonderful thing,” said Kacey Johnston, of SeaTac, as she had dinner there on a recent Tuesday. “I enjoy being out with other people and the food is superb.”
Tice works as the executive director of the Tukwila Pantry. Besides the 5:30 p.m. Tuesday dinner, the program runs a food bank from 1:30-3:45 p.m. Monday and Wednesday and 12:30-2:30 p.m. Friday.
Tice, 51, founded the food bank 10 years ago after listening to the then-pastor at Riverton Park United Methodist preach the same message over and over that the church needed someone to help start a food bank. Tukwila residents had to go to Des Moines or Seattle if they needed a food bank.
“I listened to that for six months from the pulpit,” Tice said. “We started out with just one room for food and clothing and the first year we served about 300 families.”
Now the food bank receives more than 2,000 household visits a month, although a number of those are repeat visitors. About half of the people come from Tukwila, many within walking distance of the church. Others are from SeaTac, Burien and South Seattle.
The Tukwila Pantry started the weekly dinners about five years ago after the church had hosted the homeless several times through the Tent City program offered by Seattle Housing and Resource Efforts, also known as SHARE. Tice visited a free meal offered each Friday at a church in the University District of Seattle to see how to run a weekly meal.
“We get quite a few seniors, a lot of families as well as homeless and people in transition,” Tice said.
‘Mini United Nations’
Rev. Jan Bolerjack, of Riverton Park United Methodist, described the variety of people who attend the dinner.
“It’s like a mini-United Nations because of the diversity of people,” Bolerjack said.
Tice’s work has impressed Bolerjack.
“He’s built quite a program,” she said.
Tice deflects much of the praise, instead focusing on the efforts of fellow workers here. Annette Washington has served more than two years as the volunteer chef. Joseph Pauza has served three years as a dinner leader to help organize the meals.
“Without Joseph and Annette, the dinners would not get pulled off,” Tice said.
Washington shows up as early as 8:30 a.m. to prepare the Tuesday meals. Albertson’s and Sam’s Club donate meat to the program and Washington finds the rest of the meal items based on that week’s food-bank supplies.
“It’s very rewarding,” Washington said of cooking the meals. “There is a God-given right to have food. It makes you feel all warm and fuzzy.”
Pauza first worked at the food bank because of court-ordered community service. Now he has found the volunteer work as one way to stay out of trouble and away from drugs.
“I can focus my time and energy on something good instead of something destructive,” Pauza said.
As many as a dozen volunteers put on the meal and others help at the food bank.
The Tukwila Pantry receives funding from the cities of Tukwila and SeaTac, King County and private donations. The pantry works with Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline to help stock the food bank. The program operates on a budget of about $158,000 per year.
Tice ran a nursery business in Washington and California before returning to Tukwila in 1995. He worked several years in the rental car business before his volunteer work at the food bank turned into a full-time job.
“This was the community I was born and raised in and the church I was born and raised in,” Tice said. “It’s one way to be able to give back to the community I grew up in.”
Learn more
The Tukwila Pantry serves Tuesday dinners at 5:30 p.m., and operates as a food bank 1:30-3:45 p.m. Monday and Wednesday and 12:30-2:30 p.m. Friday.
The pantry is located at Riverton United Methodist Church, located at 3118 S. 140th St., Tukwila. For more information or to donate to the program, go to www.tukwilapantry.org or call 206-431-8293.
