Meeting the Moment: Roland and the Evolving Mission of the Jefferson County Food Bank Association
On Black Friday. A day usually dominated by shopping, sales, and doorbusters. Roland Faragher-Horwell, the relatively new president of the Jefferson County Food Bank Association, sat in the KPTZ studio with Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour and Jim Burke to talk about something far more essential: how Jefferson County is feeding its people.
Quiet, thoughtful, and armed with a deep background in supply chain logistics, Roland brings a clear, steady voice to an issue that has only grown more urgent. When he joined the food bank a little over a year ago, he was a driver. Driving a box truck to places like Coyle and Quilcene. By spring, he was on the board. By June, he was president. And almost immediately, he took on the task of looking deeply at the numbers. Numbers that tell a story of both rising need and shrinking resources.
A Surge in Need, A Drop in Support
“In 2023, we were serving about 2,500 households,” Roland explained. “This October? We’re already over 4,000.”
Nearly doubled in two years.
And while demand is rising, federal and state food supply programs from the USDA to the WSDA have been decreasing. Pandemic-era supports have expired. Federal shutdowns and budget cuts have rippled into rural counties like ours. The result is simple and stark: more people need help, and there’s less institutional support to help them.
Why Cash Matters Most
Many assume that food banks primarily need food donations, and while those are appreciated, Roland was direct: cash does more.
By purchasing in bulk and accessing deep discounts, food banks can stretch every dollar much further than an individual shopper can. More importantly, they can buy exactly what’s needed: nutritious staples, culturally relevant foods, and increasingly, locally sourced products that strengthen the regional food system.
“Roughly a third of our food is donated,” Roland shared, “but the rest is purchased. And any donated money goes directly into feeding people.”
Feeding People Where They Live
Roland’s vision reaches beyond shelves and shopping carts.
One of the biggest challenges in Jefferson County is transportation, especially for residents in remote areas. For many households, a trip to the food bank can mean a long drive, time off work, or relying on someone else for transportation. Roland is rebuilding the county’s food distribution system to flip that dynamic.
“My goal,” he said, “is to bring the food to where the people are, rather than forcing people to come to our outlets.”
This shift includes:
A new distribution center at the Tri-Area facility
More pop-up sites in remote areas like Coyle
Longer and more flexible hours, including evenings and weekends
Mobile distribution models, mirroring successful programs in Clallam County
This is food access designed for real lives, not idealized ones.
The Social Heart of It All
Roland also emphasized something that’s harder to quantify but just as important: the community that forms around food access.
In places like Coyle, food distribution days become social gatherings. Neighbors who live far apart reconnect. People check in on one another. The food becomes the reason to show up, but the community becomes the reason to stay.
“As much as it’s about feeding people,” Roland said, “it’s also a social event. It’s connection.”
How the Community Can Help
The Food Bank Association runs on the heart of hundreds of volunteers, drivers, intake teams, shelf stockers, greeters, and organizers. Time is as valuable as money, and both matter deeply right now.
If you’re looking for a way to make a difference during this season of gratitude, Roland’s message is simple:
Donate cash if you can. It goes the farthest.
Donate your time. The system can’t function without volunteers.
Donate community. Stay connected, look out for your neighbors, and support the organizations that make sure our county is fed.
And, he noted with a smile: Yes, protein-packed foods are especially helpful, just make sure they’re shelf-stable, sealed, and not expired.
“We’re doing good. But we must do better.”
Roland captured the moment: “The state of the food bank is good. Always could be better.”
And that’s precisely the point. Jefferson County is rising to meet enormous need, and with leadership like Roland’s and support from local donors, volunteers, and partners, our community can continue taking care of one another.
If you’d like to listen to the whole conversation, you can head over here.
