For anyone who needs period supplies and is also struggling to make ends meet, sometimes the math is impossible. What do you do when you need pads or tampons and the money won’t stretch far enough to cover them, in addition to all your other expenses?

There are two reasons Das Thrift Manager Catalina Arellano thinks parents shop at the local thrift store for back-to-school clothing and supplies. One is convenience—for people who live in the Upper Valley, not having to head to Wenatchee to shop is a big advantage, especially for busy families.

The Community Cupboard has a couple of volunteers that are starting early on giving back to their community. Seneca (9) and Levi Devlin Effland (12) regularly volunteer at the Cupboard with their mom, Kristin Effland.

Upper Valley MEND’s rental program was created in December 2023, when our community raised $6.8 million to purchase 31 rental units from the Marson family. As with all of MEND’s housing options, they are priced to give people who work in the Upper Valley the opportunity to live in the community where they work.

Just shy of a year after breaking ground, Upper Valley MEND hosted a ribbon-cutting celebration at its newly-finished duplex in Leavenworth. The three-bedroom, 2.5-bath units will be sold to families who live and work in the Upper Valley.

A local woman who prefers to remain anonymous has been coming to the Community Cupboard food pantry for the last two years.  

“It has really offset my cost of living,” she says.

In July, Upper Valley MEND’s mobile produce pantry will begin its season. The mobile pantry takes fruits and vegetables obtained to local migrant camps and other locations.

MEND Gleaning Coordinator Orlando Pacheco Vazquez is a farmer at heart. This year he started a micro farm with his dad—a one-acre plot of land with at least a dozen crops on it, including multiple varieties of tomatoes, peppers, broccoli and kale, plus corn, beans and squash.

According to Grant Gibbs himself, he’s a stubborn man. According to others who know him, he’s also an interesting character, a talker, and a cornerstone of the local farming community. He is a fierce supporter of the Community Cupboard, regularly donating produce through the gleaning program.

Kelsey first lived in Leavenworth when she was in her twenties. At that time, her aunt told her about the Community Cupboard food pantry. “[Shopping at the Cupboard when you need to] is how you make it here,” she told her.

In the wake of the devastating winter storm that hit the Upper Valley in mid December, a group of local people reached out to Upper Valley MEND. They wanted to create a match campaign for victims of the storm, in the hopes it would encourage others to donate as well.

Mady Kornegay and her coworkers work long hours, and many hang out together when they’re not working, too. Mady attributes that to many of them having the same values—including valuing community. That shared value is what led to her team donating food and goods to the Community Cupboard at the end of February.

In honor of Earth Day this month, Upper Valley MEND is highlighting all the ways our community helps reduce waste through MEND’s programs.

The resources to find help for those who need it are often hard to find. Kate—whose name has been changed to protect her anonymity—has become adept at finding those resources, both for herself and others.

Starting with tax year 2026, you may be able to deduct charitable contributions even if you don't itemize your taxes. If you do not take the standard deduction, you may be able to deduct up to $1,000 (or $2,000 if filing jointly) in cash contributions to qualified organizations like Upper Valley MEND.

The Community Cupboard has outgrown its space. In the last four years, the number of monthly households served has increased from 250 to 650, creating challenges in both storing extra stock and making the shopping space accessible for shoppers.

Often, people who are struggling to pay rent are having problems covering their other expenses, too. They may also have a hard time buying groceries, for example, or getting clothes when their old ones wear out or the weather changes.

Monthly donations are one of the most effective ways supporters can help Upper Valley MEND plan for the future. Because these gifts are predictable, they can be counted toward budgeted income—money MEND expects to receive each month.

Upper Valley Empty Bowls is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The beloved local festival, in which participants decorate a bowl with pottery glaze and then join their community at a soup supper after the glazed bowls are fired, serves as a fundraiser to buy food for the Community Cupboard food pantry. But that is only one of its functions. 

Many downtown businesses in Leavenworth bring in up to 40 percent of their income during its annual winter festival, the Village of Lights, which takes place over three weekends in December. Unfortunately, businesses—and the workers they employ—missed out on one whole weekend of holiday income when the storm swept through mid-December, cancelling the Village of Lights.