Viral Reddit post gives a boost to Jefferson County Food Bank

By Christy Carley

Peninsula Daily News

PORT TOWNSEND — Michael Jensen has been a professional writer for years, but when a short, offhand Reddit post he wrote went viral, Jensen was surprised.

“I wrote that in 15 minutes,” he said. “If I had known this was gonna happen, it would have been way more polished than it was.”

Jensen’s post — which, as of Wednesday, had racked up 58,000 upvotes and 849 comments — was about his experience volunteering at the Jefferson County Food Bank in Port Townsend.

“When I started working at the food bank here in Port Townsend, Washington, last April, one of the things I worried about was how to say ‘no’ to people who would ask for more food than we could give them,” Jensen wrote.

Aware of cuts to SNAP benefits and economic pressures that could lead more people to seek help at food banks, he expected he might have to turn some requests down.

But, as his post explained, Jensen ended up having the opposite problem.

He often found himself trying to convince people to take what they need.

“People are always saying, ‘Do you have enough for everybody else?’ or ‘I want to leave that for a family with kids,’ or ‘I don’t want to take more than my share,’” Jensen said in an interview.

In his post, Jensen wrote that volunteering at the food bank left him with “a stronger belief in the fundamental goodness of people.”

Between Sept. 28 and Oct. 2 — the week of Jensen’s post — the food bank received a total of $2,854.60 from 47 donors, all of whom were donating for the first time.

“One donation came from as far away as the Netherlands!” Sonja Mathews, a fellow volunteer and vice president of the food bank’s board of directors, wrote in an email. She mentioned that most of the donations were smaller than those the food bank typically receives, but there were more of them.

“I think Michael definitely touched a nerve,” Mathews said in an interview.

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Many commenters on Jensen’s post shared similar stories: the people they meet at food banks tend to be thoughtful and generous, belying the idea that those who seek or accept help are abusing a system.

“People don’t want to take more than their share,” Jensen said.

Jensen’s observation regarding the generosity of food bank clients is reflected in larger-scale trends. Research has shown that those who have less money tend to give away a higher percentage of their wealth.

Mathews said she observes generosity across the economic spectrum.

“I meet people who have means that are incredibly generous,” she said. “I do think, though, that when you’re empathetic about somebody’s state because you have lived through it, then you tend to be more mindful of them and consider them in your decisions.”

“Clients in the food bank are hearing the stories of their friends and the other people in the community about how much they need the food,” she added. “With that awareness, with that familiarity with that (other) person comes empathy and mindfulness.”

Other commenters on Jensen’s post mentioned they felt nervous or ashamed upon first visiting a food bank. Friendly volunteers, they said, made a difference. One commenter mentioned that she recognized Jensen from Port Townsend’s food bank.

Mathews said first-time clients often are uneasy about accepting help.

“They think, ‘Oh, the food bank isn’t for me. I’m working, I do earn some money,’” she said.

Since Jefferson County’s food bank receives assistance from the state Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Food Assistance Program, the food bank tries to adhere to income eligibility guidelines set at 400 percent of the federal poverty level.

“It’s the honor system,” Mathews explained. “We just say, please look at this for guidance on the maximum income per household size.” She added that people are often “shocked” to see that they fall within the guidelines.

Jensen and his husband — both writers — sold their house in Seattle about 10 years ago and have been “traveling the world full time.” The couple chronicles their experiences via a Substack called “Brent and Michael are Going Places.”

When his post went viral, Jensen had been volunteering at the food bank for about five months. If all goes according to plan, the couple will be on to their next stop this month.

“I want to make sure that the credit goes to the people who created this food bank and the people who have been making it run all these years,” Jensen said.

Mathews said the Port Townsend food bank has 120 volunteers and about 300 total in the county.

“They all show up big like Michael does,” she said. “But the thing that really keeps us going is the clients.” ________

Reporter Christy Carley can be reached by email at christy.carley@peninsuladailynews.com.

Michael Jensen, who has been a volunteer at the Jefferson County Food Bank for about five months, posted on Reddit about his experience. Attention from the post generated nearly $3,000 for the food bank in one week.

MICHAEL JENSEN PHOTOGRAPHY