Food Bank Gifted

When Eloise Cooking Pot food bank’s truck was totaled last year, CEO and founder Ahndrea Blue was at a loss for what to do. Without a means of transportation, the elderly and disabled the food bank serves in the Tacoma area would have no way to receive their food. Even a replacement truck was not enough to meet the growing needs of the hungry in the community.

Luckily, a Toyota giveaway saw fit to give Eloise a brand new 2014 Toyota Tundra, free of charge. The gift was a part of Toyota’s annual 100 Cars for Good giveaway, in which the company provides non-profit organizations in need with a vehicle. These organizations produce a video giving their pitch and then the public gets to vote for their favorites over a 90-day period.

Eloise was one of the lucky winners, and their brand new truck was handed over to them on March 6 at Titus-Will Toyota in Tacoma.

“This truck is truly going to make a difference in our organization, and truly make a difference in our community,” Blue said.

Eloise Cooking Pot, named after Blue’s grandmother, fashions itself as a food bank but delivers far more than just canned food for the community. The non-profit organization is dedicated to serving southeast Tacoma, providing professionally cooked food and fresh vegetables to the homeless and others in need.

Eloise Cooking Pot was launched four years ago and has grown exponentially since then.

“We’ve gone from serving 20 people, to about 1,500 people a week. We are just blessed,” Blue said.

In 2013, Eloise Cooking Pot served more than 800,000 people with nearly a million pounds of food, and 500 of these customers are currently on the delivery system.

“The unique thing about this organization is it’s not cans of food. We’re talking about food from the four food groups. We’re talking organic food, were talking about fresh food,” Cynthia Johnson, a Toyota representative who was at the presentation, said. “Not only do they get fresh food, but they also cater to different ethnic backgrounds with their food and in addition to that, they provide household items for these people. In addition to that, they also focus on needs of little kids, for babies, and then to take it a step further, they also meet the needs of the elderly and disabled community.”

Eloise Cooking Pot goes beyond and above food, providing household products, pet food and baby items.

The organization’s dedication to serving both the elderly and disabled means deliveries are essential to the service, and with only one truck it has proven to be very difficult to meet the demand, with six buildings currently on a waiting list for food.

One of the buildings on the waiting list is at 911 N. K Street, a complex full of elderly and disabled patrons.

“It makes the difference of going without food. No meal in your tummy, [the truck] is huge,” Lynda Rometo, a representative from the building, said.

“We have one lady, [who is] 93, and I don’t see her going to the food bank,” Jerry Forcier, another representative of the apartment, said.

Titus-Will got involved in trying to get Eloise a new truck, raising awareness and taking donations for the food bank’s campaign

“100 Cars for Good has brought a lot of attention throughout the United States. There are so many organizations that are doing very good work, but sometimes they just need that extra something to get them over, to get them to reach out throughout the community. And usually it is a vehicle, it’s the transportation need that may be missing in that whole community giving organization,” Johnson said.

Blue signed for the truck on March. 6 and was provided with a six-year, 100,000-mile service agreement courtesy of Toyota.

For more information on Eloise Cooking Pot, call (253) 426-1994. Eloise Cooking Pot is located at 3543 E. McKinley Ave.