Did you know that we have a Birthday Bag Program? We do! And we need your support!

Since 2009, the food bank has distributed 7,550 age-appropriate “birthdays in a bag” to children of our clients ages 1 to 12. Each bag has a new toy, a book from South Sound Reading Foundation, a handmade knitted hat, balloons and candles, coloring books and crayons for younger children and toiletries and school supplies for older children, as well as other assorted donations. In addition, clients are offered a cake mix and frosting. Birthday bags are flying off the shelves — between our Olympia and Lacey Food Pantries, we are giving away about 12 to 15 bags a week — that’s 50 to 60 each month!

How Can You Help?

We need new age-appropriate toys (to fit a 10×13″ bag), jump ropes, Nerf balls, Hot Wheel 5-car-sets, Barbie dolls and Barbie clothes, assorted small toiletries, toothbrushes and toothpaste, crayons and coloring books.

In July and August we try to stock up on all the school supplies needed for the year.
Most needed supplies are:

Spiral notebooks (we gave out 300 last year alone) • Pens • Crayola crayons (please just this brand) • Rulers • Glue and glue sticks • Scissors • Composition books • Erasers • Colored pencils

We can always use financial donations earmarked for birthday bags! Mattel has a wonderful charity program and we buy new toys from them at an almost 50% discount!

It is community support that makes the birthday bag program so successful! 🧡 You can drop off supplies at the downtown Olympia’s Food Pantry at 220 Thurston Ave. NE from 8 am–4 pm weekdays or mail donations to P.O. Box 11549, Olympia WA 98508-1549.

With your help we can continue bringing birthday smiles to children in Thurston County!