By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
In a powerful show of generosity and community spirit, the Seattle Medium and Bennett Media Group’s annual food drive returned last Saturday, and drew overwhelming support. Held at the Seattle Medium Building in the city’s Central District, the day-long event drew hundreds of donors and volunteers, resulting in thousands of food items collected for families facing food insecurity during the holidays.
A heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone who participated and supported the food drive. Organizers say the event’s return after a pandemic-related pause highlighted not only a renewed need but also a renewed commitment to service.
“We can’t thank our community enough for what they did this past Saturday,” said Chris B. Bennett, Publisher and CEO of the Seattle Medium newspaper. “We couldn’t do this without the support of the community. Yes, we provide the vehicle and the mechanisms behind the drive, but it’s the people who turn out and support the effort that determine the outcome, and their efforts made this year’s food drive a huge success, and we can’t thank them enough.”
“We’d especially like to thank our community sponsors, the James Bible Law Group and Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, for the roles that they played in both the receiving and distribution of the food items, and making sure that our community was taken care of this holiday season.”
The collected food will be distributed directly to local families, many of whom might otherwise struggle to put food on the table as inflation and economic challenges continue to impact households across the region.
The event marked the return of the Medium’s food drive after a hiatus that began in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers expressed that the need for community support has only grown more urgent in the years since.
Jawann Bennett, Vice President of Bennett Media Group, said the drive’s importance has only deepened during such a difficult time for many.
“The food drive is important because not only is it something that we haven’t been able to produce since COVID, but it’s a necessary time and today’s financial climate,” said Bennett. “And there’s many people’s benefits that either been taken away, jobs that have been taken away. And for the most part, people are, especially up here in the Northwest and in the Seattle area, people are being displaced. They’re being moved out of places where they normally found comfort and where you could find meals and you could find family, there’s barely anything in cupboards.”
This year’s drive also saw a new partnership with the Bible Law Group, whose founder James Bible expressed a shared vision for collaboration and service.
“This is our first time partnering with the Seattle Medium,” said Bible. “We know that Seattle Medium has historically done really solid work with their food drive and their coat drive, and we were looking for a way to help and grow and build within the community, so it seemed like a logical fit.”
From the start, the food drive has served as more than a charitable initiative. It has become a holiday tradition—one that brings families, friends and neighbors together around a shared goal of lifting others up during the season of giving.
“We as a family have been doing this since the 1990s, but I mean the Bennett family has been a central role in the Seattle community, particularly the Black community and how we contribute from the coat drives to the food drives,” said Bennett. “We’re humbled by it but very prideful of it, and we stand on the shoulders of so many that have done it before us.”
“More important for us though is to help others before we focus on each other and celebrate a year of coming together. So personally, I’m humbled by the legacy that we’ve created in regard to helping people and it’s not about us, it’s not about the Bennett name, it’s about community. That’s why we say, ‘service to the community is our most important product.’”
In preparation for the event, organizers encouraged donations of non-perishable items and asked individuals to invite friends, family and professional networks to participate. Their appeal resonated, and the community turned out in full force.
Speaking to the deeper meaning behind the food drive, Bible stressed the urgency and humanity behind the effort.
“It’s important that anybody that can reach out at this time of need for so many others that are in a place where they don’t have adequate food,” said Bible. “There’s a lot of families that are suffering, parents having difficulty feeding their children and the like. And as a community, we need to stand up and help one another, and that’s part of the importance of this food drive.”
As families across the Seattle area prepare for holiday gatherings, the contributions made this past weekend will ensure that many can celebrate with food on the table. More than a one-day event, the drive stands as a testament to what is possible when a community comes together.
In a time when economic hardship continues to stretch household budgets and create uncertainty, the success of this year’s food drive reflects the enduring strength and solidarity of Seattle’s neighborhoods, and the powerful difference made through shared purpose.
“This is what community looks like — coming together to care for one another,” said Chris B. Bennett. “When people give from the heart, lives are changed. That’s the true spirit of the season.”
