Alternatives to Hunger Bellingham Food Bank
ActiveFood, Agriculture & Nutrition
About Alternatives to Hunger Bellingham Food Bank
We envision a community with a thriving food system where everyone has equitable access to the food they need and want. We reduce hunger by creating access to high quality, desirable food and other essentials; building a responsive regional hunger relief network; and disrupting racism, as food justice is social justice.
Focus Areas
Food securityEmergency food distributionHunger reliefFood sourcing and redistributionCommunity food accessRacial equity in food systems
Who They Fund
food bank clients / food-insecure householdsfood banks and community food partnerslocal farmers / producers (outreach)flood-affected communities
Funding Style
About Alternatives to Hunger Bellingham Food Bank
Alternatives to Hunger Bellingham Food Bank’s recent grantmaking is organized around a food-system goal: creating equitable access to the food people need and want while building a responsive regional hunger relief network. The foundation backs food banks, community food partners, and local organizations with a mix of hunger relief and food support grants, and its 2025 activity shows repeated, substantial awards to nearby partners in Whatcom County and the broader region. In 2025, Blaine Food Bank received two large grants for hunger relief and food support, while Foothills Food Bank in Deming also received paired awards for those same purposes. That pattern appears across other local grantees as well, including Nooksack Valley Food Bank, Ferndale Food Bank, Christian Hope Association, SeaMar, and the Salvation Army in Bellingham. The foundation also funds food support for institutions serving specific communities, such as Lummi Nation Service Organization and Nooksack Indian Tribe, which fits its stated emphasis on food justice and racial equity in food systems. Grants to Bellingham Technical College and Lighthouse Mission Ministries show that its giving reaches beyond classic food-bank partners when food access is the need.
What Alternatives to Hunger Bellingham Food Bank Funds
Food security is the clearest throughline in the portfolio. The foundation gave $672,186 to Blaine Food Bank for hunger relief and $624,763 to the same organization for food support, showing how it pairs direct relief with operational food purchasing. Similar paired support went to Foothills Food Bank in Deming, reinforcing a consistent model for pantry partners. Community-based distribution is another major theme. Christian Hope Association in Lynden received $322,380 for food support, and SeaMar in Seattle received $257,129 for hunger relief. The foundation also supported the Salvation Army in Bellingham with $236,510 for food support, indicating that it funds a range of local service providers when they are part of the hunger-relief network. Its racial-equity framing is reflected in support for Lummi Nation Service Organization in Bellingham and Nooksack Indian Tribe in Deming, both tied to food access needs.
How Alternatives to Hunger Bellingham Food Bank Gives
The typical grant size sits between $12,186 at the 25th percentile and $218,113 at the 75th percentile, with a median of $47,175. That spread fits a portfolio that combines smaller community awards with larger operating-scale support for food access and redistribution. The recent record also shows repeat funding to the same organizations across 2023 and 2025, including Blaine Food Bank, Foothills Food Bank, Nooksack Valley Food Bank, Christian Hope Association, Ferndale Food Bank, and Lighthouse Mission Ministries. The foundation is not a donor-advised fund and does not fund individuals. Its grants appear to be relationship-based and local, rather than driven by an open application process.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$6.1M
Total Assets
$13.1M
Total Revenue
$15.3M
Total Expenses
$14.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $12K and $218K, with a median of $47K.
25th Percentile
$12K
Median
$47K
75th Percentile
$218K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Mike Cohen
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