Couple establishes food pantry at Bellingham apartment complex to assist low-income seniors
When Dan Quint moved with his wife to the Woodrose Senior Affordable Apartments in Bellingham in 2020, they were surprised by the number of residents they saw struggling to pay their grocery bills.
With all of the residents on fixed or low incomes, the couple said they noticed their neighbors had a hard time making ends meet — even while living in affordable housing.
So they set out to find a solution.
“We wanted to give people a little bit of dignity and see if we could make them more whole in their day-to-day lives,” Quint said in an interview with The Herald.
With Quint’s background as an executive chef, the couple’s history working in hospitality, and the financial support of donors and their local church, Seniors Helping Seniors was born.
The nonprofit operates a food pantry for the seniors at Woodrose that includes fresh fruits and vegetables, canned food, dry goods and frozen meals — all with nutrition in mind. They’ve recently started offering pet food as well. Quint told The Herald that they try to take the pantry’s offerings to the next level for their neighbors.
“I think the food banks do a good job doing what they do. But this is a little bit different,” Quint said. “We know who our client is, and we wanted to give them better. We’re in a close community. These are our friends.”
The nonprofit also provides a warm, freshly cooked meal for Woodrose residents every Friday, when they come to the pantry as a way of facilitating connection.
“One of the other issues we found when we got here was that people weren’t coming together,” Dan Quint said. “We wanted a better sense of community, so that’s why they started serving lunch.”
Of about 200 apartments at Woodrose, Dan said the food pantry sees about 100 occasional users and 70 weekly users. He said they consider about 30 of those individuals to be severely food insecure.
Gertie Porter has lived at Woodrose for more than 20 years. She told The Herald the food pantry has helped her significantly with groceries as prices have increased over the last several years.
“It really helps a lot. I just get a few things I don’t already have at home — not to mention Dan’s good cooking,” Porter said.
David Scattum has lived at Woodrose for more than five years. He said he’s thankful for all of the people who come together to run the food pantry, where he often comes to pick up milk, soup, canned food and mixed vegetables.
“It’s a nice thing that we have here as residents. It’s very helpful with our diet, food, money — all that. It’s great,” Scattum said. “The meal is also a nice addition to being able to pick up groceries.”
Scattum told The Herald he’s thankful for all of the people who come together to run the food pantry. He said he loves to share a meal with his neighbors.
“I’ve been saying hi to a bunch of people that I’ve gotten to know over the last five years. It’s great. It’s called good fellowship,” Scattum said.
Seniors Helping Seniors has grown considerably since its inception, with more volunteers getting involved to help out as more residents are utilizing the service. Other community members have stepped up to offer seniors free nail painting and art classes while they gather for a meal.
“We say it’s feeding the body and the soul,” Quint said.
Seniors Helping Seniors accepts food donations from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at Woodrose Apartments, 3353 Racine St. The nonprofit also accepts cash donations via its website (shsbellingham.com).
Quint can be reached directly at 360-991-1494.
This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
