Vote for Mike Mowat to represent our state at the National Jefferson Awards in Washington D.C.

Click here to vote for Mike Mowat! Your vote combined with the judges’ vote will help determine which Jefferson Awards winner will represent Washington State at the national ceremony. You are only allowed one vote per person. Voting closes Monday, March 25, 2013 at midnight.

Mike knew there was a way to provide food assistance with dignity to low income neighborhoods that had limited or no access to a food bank. As a volunteer board member for FISH Food Banks of Pierce County, he knew the challenges that many families were facing and he wanted to find an innovative solution that did not require bricks and mortar, but could also serve people in an inside space to shield them from cold and rainy weather. After conducting research on different mobile food bank models, he realized that the best solution would be a moving van that was converted into a foodbank on wheels. In June 2011 Mike, with a cadre of volunteers, spent months converting the van with shelving, lights, heat, a freezer and a generator. Every day Mike stocks the food shelves to make sure they have enough food to distribute that evening and every Saturday he washes the trailer – he even drives the truck and trailer to each site. Currently this food bank is located in five different sites Monday through Friday. It is able to go where there are the greatest demands. He has fostered partnerships with three of the local school districts to host the food bank after school. Schools were chosen because they are located in neighborhoods, many in low income areas, and they have parking lots.