Keep the Community Fed

Join host Carmen Smith for a spirited conversation with Gabby Peña, Baby Pantry Coordinator for White Center Food Bank. Carmen and Gabby discuss the history of the baby pantry, the various iterations of this resource over the years, what is offered to WCFB's "youngest customers" and, as always, what food makes Gabby think of home.  

Our first monthly 'short' episode of Season 2! Join host Carmen Smith for a conversation with Robert Fuentes, Development and Events Coordinator discussing our staff trip to Olympia for Hunger Action Day, watching the House debate bills, proposed Washington State legislation we are excited about and more! 

We’re excited to kick Season 2 off by welcoming Aaron Garcia from the White Center Community Development Association as our first guest. Join host Carmen Smith for a conversation with Aaron sharing about his upbringing, the journey behind opening the HUB Project, and so much more about his work in the community. As always, we discuss "what food makes you think of home?" and the power of food to bring people together.

A surprise "Bonus" episode to close out 2026! In this episode, Executive Director Carmen Smith and Development and Events Coordinator Robert Fuentes discuss the ups and downs of the past two months. With the challenges facing our customers and the incredible generosity from the community coming from the suspension of SNAP benefits, White Center Food Bank wants to share our experiences. We also discuss our End-of-Year appeal and the importance of continuing support of food security organizations in 2026 and beyond.   

The final episode of Season 1 features special guest, King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda. Join hosts Carmen Smith and Gabbi Gonzales for a conversation about CM Mosqueda's background and history in politics, her future plans to support the White Center community and an inspiring conversation about what true leadership looks like. As always, we discuss "what food makes you think of home?" and the power of food to bring people together. 

This month's episode focuses on White Center Food Bank's produce purchasing and features Operations Coordinator, Joey Romness. Join host Carmen Smith and guest co-host Robert Fuentes for a "fruitful" conversation about where we source our produce, how we incorporate customer voice into produce purchasing, and the farming partners that supply the beautiful produce we distribute to the community. As always, we discuss "what food makes you think of home?" and the power of food to bring people together. 

This month's episode focuses on the Taste of White Center and features Robert Fuentes, Development and Events Coordinator for the White Center Food Bank. Join hosts Carmen Smith, Gabbi Gonzales and team for a conversation about the history of the event, a recap of the 4th annual celebration, favorite memories over the years, and what we look forward to for the future. As always, we discuss "What food makes you think of home?" and the power of food to bring people together. 

This month's episode features White Center Food Bank Intake Specialists and Community Queens, Tracey Coven and Shandee Jones. Join hosts Carmen Smith and Gabbi Gonzales for a powerful conversation about Juneteenth, White Center Food Bank's special distribution to celebrate the holiday, and Tracey and Shandee's interesting and inspiring life stories. As always, we discuss "What food makes you think of home?" and learn about each of their family's traditions in the kitchen. 

This month's episode features Eliot Hills, President of White Center Pride.  Join hosts Carmen Smith and Gabbi Gonzales for a delightful conversation with Eliot about White Center Pride's history, growth and what to look forward to at this year's June 7th celebration. We also discuss the Taste of White Center, collaborations between our organizations, 'hidden gems' in White Center and more!

This month's episode features Theary Chhim, multi-talented artist, UI/UX designer, pharmacist and more.  Join hosts Carmen Smith and Gabbi Gonzales for an inspiring conversation with Theary about growing up in White Center, celebrating Kmher/Cambodian New Year, her process for designing the Taste of White Center poster and other exciting collaborations. 

Our guest this month is First Sergeant Aaron Smith from the Washington State Army National Guard. On the 5th anniversary of the beginning of the COVID pandemic, join hosts Carmen Smith and Gabbi Gonzales for a powerful conversation about supporting White Center Food Bank's operations while our volunteers stayed safely home. The group reflects on the pandemic, their experiences together at the food bank, what brought them joy and what they learned during this challenging time for our community. 

This month's episode features Jackie Vaughn, owner of Vaughn Strategies LLC and Executive Director of Surge Reproductive Justice.  Join hosts Carmen Smith and Gabbi Gonzales for an inspiring conversation with Jackie about supporting White Center Food Bank's strategic planning process, her journey and history working in the field of social justice and more!   

Special guest Randy Nguyen, Marketing and Community Engagement Coordinator for White Center Food Bank joins us for Episode 4. Learn about his story and family history with Lunar New Year, White Center Food Bank's upcoming recipe book and the trusted messenger program helping guide our strategic planning process.

Special guest Roxana Pardo Garcia, Executive Director of Alimentando al Pueblo joins us for Episode 3. Learn about the amazing work Roxana is doing, the food that makes her think of home, and how you can support Alimentando al Pueblo in their shared mission to keep the community fed.  

White Center Food Bank Operations Director Mike Playford is our first guest to the show. We discuss our winter holiday food distributions strategy, recap the Bring it Home Dinner and Auction and more!

Get plugged in and learn more about how White Center Food Bank keeps the community fed. Hosted by Executive Director, Carmen Smith and Board Co-chair, Gabbi Gonzales, each episode will discuss different topics around food justice and select episodes will feature special guests from the White Center Food Bank community. Sound Production: Jefferson Rose Video Production: Randy Nguyen