LYNNWOOD—Scores of passenger vehicles wrapped around the Verdant Health Commission building in Lynnwood on Monday afternoon with those from immigrant communities concerned about food insecurity in the wake of federal immigration enforcement actions throughout Puget Sound.
“A lot of immigrant refugee families have self-terminated their benefits,” Van Dinh-Kuno, Executive Director of Refugee and Immigrant Services Northwest (RISNW), told the Lynnwood Times when asked why her organization is leading this effort. “They are afraid of giving out their information. So, kids will go hungry, and parents are afraid to go to work. Now we have a crisis on our hand.”
Because some in the immigrant communities are fearful of deportation or being arrested for no reason, Lisa Edwards, Superintendent of Verdant Health Commission, told the Lynnwood Times more nonprofits in the area are pivoting to “pop-ups” to provide wellness opportunities and connect them to resources in a safe environment.
“They are fearful of going to grocery stores, they are fearful of even dropping their kids off at school,” Edwards said.
Edwards emphasized that her organization has no information of planned enforcement activities nor know the immigration status of participants, only that these are community residents that need help.
“The reason they show up here is because they trust us, they trust Verdant,” Dinh-Kuno said.
Verdant recently adopted its 2025-2028 strategic plan with a focus on child, adolescent, and young adult mental health, and access to direct health care services. Verdant will also be changing its model away from providing direct services and more towards empowering local community partners who are better equipped to deliver those services in South Snohomish County.
Edwards shared that Verdant will be partnering with local foodbanks and food pantries such as the Lynnwood Food Bank that provided canned and dry goods, and cultural produce during Monday’s “pop-up.”
“It is true that there are trust issues and people are scared,” Alissa Jones, director of the Lynnwood Food Bank told the Lynnwood Times. “We have been doing our best to make sure community members that utilize Lynnwood Food Bank know that they are safe on our property and that we will follow all confidentiality, policies and laws. Without a legal judicial warrant, none of our information is available to anybody outside of out intake volunteers and staff.”
In 2024, the Lynnwood Food Bank served 174,049 individuals, a 14.6% increase from the previous year.
“Nobody should not come get food because they are scared, whether it is because of immigrant refugee policies or domestic violence. Fear is powerful and there are many reasons people won’t come to get food. We just want everybody to know that everyone is welcomed at our food bank.”
When a family drove up to the Food Truck, they were met with the smiling faces of a volunteer who would, essentially, take their order and provide them with their food.
“We have worked really hard to earn the trust of the immigrant and refugee community and these kinds of situations [current immigration enforcement] damage that for any agency that serves anybody.”
Monday’s pop-up served approximately 250 families who received $100 gift cards and the Red Cross donated product-filled hygiene bags. The Assistance League donated coats purchased from Costo and children’s books that were also available for participants.
In 2017, then-Washington State Governor Jay Inslee signed Executive Order 17-01 that directed state agencies to not “inquire into, or request specific documents, in order to ascertain a person’s immigration status for the sole purpose of identifying if a person has complied with federal civil immigration laws, including passports, alien registration, or work permits, except as required by federal or state law.”
In a message to residents on Friday, Lynnwood Police Chief Cole Langdon shared that the Keep Washington Working Act prevents law enforcement from assisting in immigration enforcement.
Lynnwood Police Chief Cole Langdon and members of the Police Department attended Monday’s event as a show of support and to continue building trust within the community.
“We came to the pop-up event to support our fellow community partners who are doing important work in building community,” Chief Langdon told the Lynnwood Times. “It is an honor to spend some time with folks who genuinely care and are working to make things better.”
Langdon emphasized that “community” is a core value of the Lynnwood Police Department and that the more he and his team can demonstrate to the people of Lynnwood that their police officers are “of, for, and about” community, the more effective it will be in co-producing public safety.
“Today provided a great opportunity to do just that,” said Langdon. “Having a chance to interact with our community members, particularly those in need, and spend a few minutes of service in giving back helps to recharge my batteries and remind me of why I entered this profession…to help people.”
The Lynnwood Food Bank is currently in need of volunteers for food preparation and distribution, visit https://www.lynnwoodfoodbank.org/get-involved/volunteer for a volunteer application. To learn more about ways to donate or how to get involved visit www.lynnwoodfoodbank.org.
Author: Mario Lotmore
