Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Supporting seniors with gleaned produce

In addition to harvesting produce to stock the Community Cupboard food pantry, MEND's gleaning program distributes excess produce to a number of locations around North Central Washington. One of those locations is the Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center.

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Giving back with photography

Dave Masuda is a man of many talents and interests. Since he retired four years ago, he’s been spending an increasing amount of time taking pictures for local nonprofits, including Upper Valley MEND.

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Help for when life happens

Life happens.

Many people who come to Upper Valley MEND for financial assistance have something in common: an unexpected life event has happened to them, and they need help navigating it.

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Now accepting applications for MEND's board of directors 

MEND is seeking applicants interested in joining our board of directors. We're looking for applicants with a broad range of life and job experience that can help MEND better serve our community with their unique perspectives. No previous board experience is necessary. One seat will open in 2026; another opens in 2027. 

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Employee spotlight: Laurie Peek

Community Cupboard employee Laurie Peek moved to the Upper Valley 51 years ago. Apart from a six-month stint in Guatemala, she’s been here ever since.

“Before that, I had never lived anywhere for more than three years, so I guess I like it.”

Laurie has worked or volunteered for Upper Valley MEND longer than anyone else. In the 1980's, Carl Florea—MEND's first Executive Director—wrote a grant to pay her to come to the Cupboard for a couple hours a week and help people who needed it.

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Upper Valley MEND Fall Newsletter

Each fall, Upper Valley MEND puts together a printed newsletter to send out with news and updates about our programs. Click “read more” to access a downloadable PDF.

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Starting over…again

Amina came to Upper Valley MEND for help with rent. 

“I know it’s only one month’s rent, but it made such a difference,” Amina said. “I could focus on the next step. It gave me a brighter path.”

Amina has a master’s in public health and had a stable job with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). But in April, federal budget cuts reduced funding to the DOH and her entire team was let go. Amina has been searching for a job ever since, but she’s competing for positions against former team members, including those with multiple master’s degrees and doctorates.

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Laura Lentz and Tierra Organic Garden's multifaceted mission

Despite its name, the main purpose of the Tierra Organic Garden isn’t to grow produce. Fresh fruits and vegetables just happen to be a fantastic byproduct that works in the Community Cupboard’s favor.

Under the leadership of Garden Organics Manager Laura Lentz, the Tierra Garden is an outdoor experiential space for adults over 18 with intellectual, developmental and sometimes physical disabilities. As an essential part of the Tierra Learning Center’s Day Program, the garden acts as a place for participants to practice physical awareness of their environment, interact with a variety of sensory experiences, and learn more about plants, themselves and each other.

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Harvesting Hope: MEND’s gleaning program feeds the Wenatchee Valley

Gleaning is an important part of keeping the Community Cupboard stocked with food. Local orchardists, farmers and backyard gardeners call when they have excess produce, and Upper Valley MEND’s gleaning coordinator, Alana Springer,  harvests the produce, with the help of volunteers if needed.

“Our program is unique because it’s pretty longstanding and we have many committed volunteers who come to a lot of gleans,” says Alana.

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Farm to Food Pantry Grant helps Cupboard buy produce from local farms

One of the many programs that keeps the Community Cupboard stocked with food is the Farm to Food Pantry (F2FP) program. A joint partnership between Harvest Against Hunger and the Washington Department of Agriculture, F2FP provides grants to food pantries like the Cupboard to buy produce from local farms. F2FP helps financially support farmers and also ensures food pantries have access to fresh, local produce.

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

MEND Celebrates Groundbreaking of New Duplex to Expand Homeownership Opportunities in Leavenworth

Upper Valley MEND celebrated a major milestone on July 23 with a groundbreaking ceremony for a new duplex that will provide two more affordable homeownership opportunities for local workers and families.

The duplex will feature two 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom homes priced in the low $300,000s – less than half the market rate – to ensure local workforce members have options to purchase homes and live in the community.

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Community steps in to fill the Cupboard’s shelves

In the first several months of 2025, Interim Community Cupboard Manager Lily Roberts was driving to Wenatchee four times a week to buy enough food to keep the food pantry’s shelves stocked. That’s twice as often as in 2024, reflecting the increase in shoppers in the beginning of this year.

Maintaining full pantry shelves despite the increased demand stretched the Cupboard far beyond its capacity. In March 2025, the costs for running the Cupboard were more than double the allocated budget.

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Honoring John Butruille’s Lasting Impact at MEND

Gracious.

Kind.

Humble.

Didn’t toot his own horn.

These are the words his friends used to describe John Butruille, who passed away in May. Despite his humble nature, John’s presence in the Leavenworth community was larger than life.

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Das Thrift powers essential lifeline for Upper Valley residents

Das Thrift is a small thrift store on the corner of Front Street and 14th Street, just off Highway 2 in Leavenworth. Despite its limited space, it boasts a broad mix of clothing for both children and adults, shoes, bedding, household items and books.

The thrift store began as part of the Community Cupboard food pantry, originally sharing its space further down the block. Although the two became separate locations in 2018, they are still inextricably linked.

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Local student finds community and other hidden treasures working at Das Thrift

Paige Runions wanted to start volunteering at Das Thrift about six years ago, but she couldn’t—she was too young. She had wait one year, when she turned 12.

Now a 17-year-old high school senior about to graduate, Paige’s role at Das Thrift has grown with her. Das Thrift was the first place she volunteered on her own, without a family member present. It was also the first place she’d ever interviewed when she applied for a job after she turned 15.

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Improvements to MEND part 4: fostering connection and belonging

In our fourth article about the March 2024 survey, we’re touching on the request for connection and belonging that surfaced in the results.

Our survey results highlighted MEND's strong alignment with core values while revealing that connection and belonging represent areas of both current strength and future opportunity.

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Improvements to MEND part 3: mental health awareness

In our third article about improvements to Upper Valley MEND based on a 2024 survey, we’re addressing mental health awareness.

In the survey MEND conducted across a portion of staff members, board members and volunteers, participants expressed a desire for more training and support around caring for others, especially related to mental illness.

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Local single dad prioritizes quiet neighborhood to raise his family

Miguel, a single dad and forestry worker, has lived in the same duplex in Leavenworth since 2010. His desire for a quiet place to raise his family prompted the move, from one apartment owned by the Marsons—one with loud neighbors who partied a lot—to this one on Joseph Street.

Miguel has stayed in the apartment for 15 years because of how much he likes it, and the neighborhood he lives in.

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Emotional stability begins at home

MEND Housing Manager Kathia Wan Mendizabal first learned the importance of stable housing in Peru, where she’s from. For three years, she worked for the Ministry of Education, traveling around the country and collecting data to help the government better understand why Peru has one of the lowest education rates in the world.

“I realized that there are many factors within a family that could affect their wellbeing—that could reduce their ability to care for their children.”

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Morgan Fraser Morgan Fraser

Improvements to MEND part 2: Striving to make people feel included

In our second article in our series about improvements made to MEND based on feedback gleaned through a survey in early 2024, we’re talking about the value of inclusion.

As part of our organization’s mission to meet each need with dignity, we strive to make all community members we encounter feel included—whether they’re our clients, volunteers or staff members.

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