Summer is right around the corner, meaning many students will suddenly have holes in their schedules. Volunteering can be a great opportunity to not only fill that hole, but also help out the community of Ellensburg. 

Allied People Offering Year-Round Outreach (APOYO) is a nonprofit food bank that has been working through CWU since 2001 to support the Ellensburg community by providing services including a food bank. The food bank is looking to eventually help the local Hispanic community open up a facility of their own.

According to Secretary Patricia Garrison, APOYO offers free food, water, clothes and diapers to anyone who needs it. APOYO serves anyone who has needs that they can fulfill—even students. Whether it’s for groceries or just a light snack, APOYO provides their services to everyone.

“If you’re hungry, you get food,” Garrison said. “We know how hard it can be to come here, so we’ve made the process as worry-free as possible.”

The food bank provides all of their services without collecting any personal data or turning anyone away, no matter how much food they take. For many people, going to a food bank can be embarrassing, so APOYO makes the process very quick. Because APOYO primarily supports the local Hispanic community, most board members are also bilingual to mitigate difficulties.

APOYO is able to be so laissez-faire with distribution because they are supplied almost exclusively by donations. Most of what APOYO distributes comes from Northwest Harvest, a larger nonprofit distributor. Their inventory of clothing comes from donors who would rather not have their clothes sold at a thrift store like Goodwill. 

Any donations of money goes right into their inventory of supplies. Even the building they operate in is donated—it used to be the CWU maintenance building, which is now located just across the street. 

Stephanie Wickstrom, the executive director at APOYO wants everyone who visits to get as many of their needs met as they can. APOYO supports the local houseless population, field workers, undocumented immigrants and anyone who needs support.

“Besides providing food, clothing and other material support, we offer volunteer and educational opportunities, and referrals to other services,” Wickstrom said. 

Such services include intercultural education, vaccination clinics, rental assistance and legal assistance for undocumented immigrants.

Anyone can help out, and there’s no need to sign up or register. According to Garrison, APOYO has seen a drop in membership recently due to more people going back to work. 

APOYO is currently looking for a student advisor to provide a student’s perspective on food shortage and distribution, but all help is welcomed. New volunteers are welcome to visit during normal distribution site times.

Distributions take place every Wednesday from 6-7 p.m. and Saturday from 1-2 p.m. 

Check out other stories about APOYO:

CWU and APOYO still in talks to move distribution center

APOYO reaches agreement with CWU to stay on campus