With director injured, food bank looking for drivers

Bonney Lake Food Bank Director Stew Bowen was injured last night, leaving the food banks with a sudden and pressing need for volunteers who can drive their commercial trucks.

Bowen was unloading palettes from a truck the evening of August 9 when his foot became entangled in a chain and he lost his balance, falling out the back cargo container of the vehicle.

“All of a sudden, I was on the ground and my foot wasn’t,” Bowen said. “It was completely dislocated.”

Emergency aid realigned Bowen’s foot, but the extent of the injury won’t be known until he has a follow-up appointment.

At the time of the injury, Bowen was the only driver for making the food bank’s pick-ups, with other volunteer drivers moving on to paying jobs, school and other endeavors.

A small supporting group of drivers has been assembled to temporarily fill the labor vacuum, but the food bank is seeking more volunteers to keep the organization operating normally.

Volunteers would drive the bank’s 20-foot refrigerated truck. A Class B Commercial Drivers’ License is preferred, but not mandatory.

The food bank makes pick-ups seven days a week, in shifts lasting between three and five-and-a-half hours.

Call Stew Bowen at 253-208-6779 for more information.