Food insecurity has been on the rise nationally and has been well documented in newspapers and professional journals across the country.

One in five Washingtonians relies on local food banks, including a proportional amount of children, according to Northwest Harvest.

Standing in front of a table full of milk cartons filled with fresh produce at the Canyon Hills Community Church, food bank director Susie Disch heads the congregation’s battle against hunger.

“Our church is a large church, and very generous,” she said of the 3,000 member congregation. “What we want to do is make sure our clients are getting the food we would buy.”

And so, for the past six years, that’s exactly what the church has done.

After opening the food bank in 2010, Disch said they currently serve around 250 families a month, representing roughly 1,000 residents in Bothell, Kenmore, Mill Creek and Lynnwood.

The massive undertaking is largely funded by the church, with help from local businesses and community organizations which run food drives, offer discounts and donate food.

Each year the church puts on their own food drive with a goal of raising 25,000 pounds of largely non-perishable food.

For perishables, the church purchases fresh produce like vegetables, dairy and meats, never letting expired produce go out with clients.

“It doesn’t matter what time of the evening you come,” there will be enough food, said volunteer Cheryl Smith.

Personalizing their interaction with clients is also key to their mission, expressed through providing hot meals twice a month, taking prayer requests and getting to know people on an individual basis.

“We want them to feel loved, they are not just a number,” Disch said. “They all have a story to tell, and we want to make sure we’re listening.”

The church also offers rent assistance, and car services such as cleaning and oil changes for single mothers and widows.

The food bank serves a diverse group of people, Disch said, many of them first or second generation immigrant families from Latin America, Ukraine, India and Egypt.

Many of these families are working or looking for work, but can’t quite make ends meet. The majority of families are also not part of the church. Disch said the food bank is open to anyone in the community.

“A lot of them are working, it’s just they don’t earn enough,” Disch said.

Nearly one third of Eastside workers earn less than $56,480 annually, or 80 percent of the area median income.

Coupled with increasing rental prices, many families are having harder times making ends meet.

For volunteer Karen Young “knowing that we’re tangibly helping the community, meeting needs,” is what keeps her going, spending between 10 and 20 hours a week at the food bank.

“I like the fact that the people are not just, ‘here, have food,’ there’s a connection,” Young said.

Food bank clients must complete an application and screening process to receive aid. But unlike many food banks, income levels are not the only factor staff considers.

Health, circumstances and living costs are also taken into account.

Disch credits the success of their food bank and other programs to conscious decisions based on the reality that their church could not tackle every problem, and had to focus their efforts into a few outlets.

This precision does have its limits. Access to the food bank requires a stable address, barring the homeless from accessing the full facility. However, the church prepares homeless care packages with non-perishable food, hygiene items and other necessities which are always given to homeless people who ask.

The assistance offered at the food bank has struck a chord with both the congregation and the community. Disch said they receive so many willing volunteers they had to turn many away.

But she said people wanting to get involved can collect or donate food.

“If someone would like to volunteer, the way we need it is food drives,” she said.

The Canyon Hills Community Church food bank is open from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays.