Emergency Food Network (EFN) welcomes new Director of Development and Communications, Amy Wigstrom. Wigstrom brings 12 years of local nonprofit experience to EFN. She last served as the capital campaign manager for the Foundations of MultiCare.  Wigstrom has held positions with local nonprofits such as the Seattle Opera, Museum of Glass, American Heart Association and Tacoma Symphony Orchestra. In addition, Wigstrom served as the Director of Performing Arts for the Sun Valley Center for the Arts in Sun Valley Idaho as well as taught music and drama in the public school system. She graduated with a music degree from Pacific Lutheran University and is a current MBA student at Brandman University.

Under the leadership and direction of EFN Executive Director, Helen McGovern-Pilant, Wigstrom will advance the organization’s fundraising and communication programs. “I am honored to serve in this capacity for an organization helping to meet such a critical need in our community. The mission of EFN aligns with my personal values and I believe there is great potential for our community to become increasingly engaged in attending to the issues of hunger.” stated Wigstrom.

Emergency Food Network’s mission is “to provide Pierce County with a consistent, diverse and nutritious food supply so that no person goes hungry.” EFN distributes nutritious, staple food to 63 food banks, shelters, and hot meal sites in Pierce County through its 22,000 square-foot warehouse in Lakewood. They do this through a combination of sources, including purchased food, food donated from grocery stores and food distributors, food received from food drives, and food grown at EFN’s 8-acre organic Mother Earth Farm, which produced 97,000 pounds of fruits and veggies in 2014, distributed to food banks on the day of harvest. EFN has an administrative overhead of less than 4%. In a down economy, more families and individuals turn to emergency food programs to get by from week to week and month to month. EFN is the primary distributer of emergency food in the county, distributing $12 worth of food for every $1 donated. With the demand at food programs increasing 71% since 2008, EFN’s efficiency and reliability is more important than ever.

“We are thrilled to have Amy Wigstrom on the EFN team” said McGovern-Pilant. “She brings a wealth of experience and passion to EFN which will help lead us to the next level as an organization.”

For more information about Emergency Food Network, to donate, or to learn about volunteer opportunities, visit www.efoodnet.org, call 253.584.1040, or email info@efoodnet.org.