A local woman who prefers to remain anonymous has been coming to the Community Cupboard food pantry for the last two years.  

“It has really offset my cost of living,” she says.

In July, Upper Valley MEND’s mobile produce pantry will begin its season. The mobile pantry takes fruits and vegetables obtained to local migrant camps and other locations.

MEND Gleaning Coordinator Orlando Pacheco Vazquez is a farmer at heart. This year he started a micro farm with his dad—a one-acre plot of land with at least a dozen crops on it, including multiple varieties of tomatoes, peppers, broccoli and kale, plus corn, beans and squash.

According to Grant Gibbs himself, he’s a stubborn man. According to others who know him, he’s also an interesting character, a talker, and a cornerstone of the local farming community. He is a fierce supporter of the Community Cupboard, regularly donating produce through the gleaning program.

Kelsey first lived in Leavenworth when she was in her twenties. At that time, her aunt told her about the Community Cupboard food pantry. “[Shopping at the Cupboard when you need to] is how you make it here,” she told her.

In the wake of the devastating winter storm that hit the Upper Valley in mid December, a group of local people reached out to Upper Valley MEND. They wanted to create a match campaign for victims of the storm, in the hopes it would encourage others to donate as well.

Mady Kornegay and her coworkers work long hours, and many hang out together when they’re not working, too. Mady attributes that to many of them having the same values—including valuing community. That shared value is what led to her team donating food and goods to the Community Cupboard at the end of February.

In honor of Earth Day this month, Upper Valley MEND is highlighting all the ways our community helps reduce waste through MEND’s programs.

The resources to find help for those who need it are often hard to find. Kate—whose name has been changed to protect her anonymity—has become adept at finding those resources, both for herself and others.

Starting with tax year 2026, you may be able to deduct charitable contributions even if you don't itemize your taxes. If you do not take the standard deduction, you may be able to deduct up to $1,000 (or $2,000 if filing jointly) in cash contributions to qualified organizations like Upper Valley MEND.

The Community Cupboard has outgrown its space. In the last four years, the number of monthly households served has increased from 250 to 650, creating challenges in both storing extra stock and making the shopping space accessible for shoppers.

Often, people who are struggling to pay rent are having problems covering their other expenses, too. They may also have a hard time buying groceries, for example, or getting clothes when their old ones wear out or the weather changes.

Monthly donations are one of the most effective ways supporters can help Upper Valley MEND plan for the future. Because these gifts are predictable, they can be counted toward budgeted income—money MEND expects to receive each month.

Upper Valley Empty Bowls is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The beloved local festival, in which participants decorate a bowl with pottery glaze and then join their community at a soup supper after the glazed bowls are fired, serves as a fundraiser to buy food for the Community Cupboard food pantry. But that is only one of its functions. 

Many downtown businesses in Leavenworth bring in up to 40 percent of their income during its annual winter festival, the Village of Lights, which takes place over three weekends in December. Unfortunately, businesses—and the workers they employ—missed out on one whole weekend of holiday income when the storm swept through mid-December, cancelling the Village of Lights.

In mid-December, record flooding and 70 mile-an-hour winds caused major power outages and road closures, and damaged the homes of many Upper Valley residents.

Almost as quickly as the mayhem ensued, people in the Upper Valley and beyond began looking for ways to help.

For about 10 years, the Leavenworth Lions Club has run a food drive for the Community Cupboard in the end of January. Ed Potter and Jackie Sturgis spearheaded the start of the January food drive for the club, which has always taken place at Dan’s Food Market.

Here’s one thing many people don’t realize—although most of the budget for MEND’s financial assistance program is spent on rent assistance, vouchers for use at Das Thrift are nevertheless an important part of the mission to meet each need with dignity.

“If people struggle to buy food,” says Das Thrift Manager Catalina Arellano, “They’ll struggle to buy clothes and shoes, too.”

In early November, Upper Valley MEND Social Worker Liz Hazen got a call. The call came from John at Coordinated Entry, a hub in Wenatchee that helps find housing for people in the area who are homeless.

Coordinated Entry wanted to know if Liz had seen a man on their list, who was homeless and had last been known to be in the Leavenworth area. Liz thought she might be able to find him, and she did.

When Leavenworth musician Seth Garrido and his girlfriend Anna Sandberg heard that the government shutdown was going to affect people’s ability to access their SNAP food assistance benefits, they wanted to do something to help.

“We have some money,” Seth and Anna said to each other. “Let’s go buy some stuff.”