The Ballard Food Bank has done their part by assisting those who are struggling in these hard economic times and in return for their hard work they have been named the 2009 winner of Food Lifeline’s “Agency Excellence Award” for Excellence in Food Resource Development.

For their achievement they have been awarded $5,000 to continue expanding its mission, and to increase and better its capabilities to serve the hungry people in the Ballard community.

Food Lifeline presented the Agency Excellence Awards at its Annual Agency Conference in Shoreline, on Monday March 24. The conference hosts expert leaders from Food Lifeline’s 300 member agencies all throughout Western Washington, connecting with each other, opening channels of communication and highlighting their successes.

As the Excellence in Food Resource Development award-winner, Ballard Food Bank demonstrated its exemplary approaches to ending hunger through its efforts to develop food programs and strengthen donor relations, according to the Food Lifeline. The winning best practices included creating a new avenue to distribute food with the Mobile Distribution Project.

Capitalizing on the extensive food recovery network the food bank has established, the project will expand the food bank’s grocery distribution hours by 25 percent by transporting a mini version of its food pantry to an off-site location. Ballard Food Bank wanted to give more access to clients in need, avoid wasting surplus, and increase responsiveness to clients unable to visit during regular hours.

“These awards are a way for us to honor excellent programs that are making a real difference in communities all across Western Washington while building the capacity of the system we serve," said Food Lifeline President and Chief Executive Officer Linda Nageotte. "With the generous support of Pacific Continental Bank we can continue to invest strategically in the solid work of our member agencies."

The Ballard Food Bank is located at 7001 24th Ave. N.W.