by Mary Cropp

Longtime Queen Anne resident Rosie Palmer was presented with a U.S. Conference of Mayor’s End Hunger Award at an October 6 th luncheon held at the Palace Kitchen restaurant. Mayor Greg Nickels presented Palmer with the Community Volunteer Award. One of two individuals to be recognized by Seattle’s mayor, the Community Volunteer Award honors the contribution of an individual or organization in the fight against hunger.

Palmer’s tools in this epic struggle have been a cookie press, and a pair of scissors.

For the past twelve years, Palmer has hand pressed, then baked, 400-600 cookies every week for Bethany’s Wednesday Night Dinner. As if making the cookies were not enough, when the need arose, Palmer has also taken on responsibility for the cookie delivery – she has been known to walk her donations up Queen Anne hill unassisted. Most of us would think that these feats are nothing short of heroic, but in actuality, it reflects but a fraction of the community service performed by Palmer.

Palmer, a retired nun and former Our Lady of Fatima schoolteacher, bakes not only for WND, but also for City Team, the Adult and Family Service Center, St. Mary’s Women Shelter and the Compass Center. Her desserts nourish more than just the stomach; after staring at tray upon tray of cookies, one WND guest remarked that it made him feel good to know that someone thought he and others like him are worthy of fresh, home baked treats.

Not limited by her prodigious output as a baker, Palmer is also well known for her ability to network – to hook up people and agencies with other people and agencies. Janet Moore, Bethany’s Social Services Director, describes Palmer as “a walking 2-1-1, always keeping the WND program informed about what other agencies are doing and encouraging partnerships.” According to Moore, Palmer is acknowledged by all who know her as a team builder, a problem solver, and a champion for those with less.

Palmer’s other talents include coupon clipping, and thrift-minded shopping. Palmer keeps a store of coupons handy, waits for items to go on sale, purchases the items with her own funds, and then donates them to social service organizations. In 2007 alone, Palmer reckons that $1800 worth of purchases bought $12,000 worth of food – food that went directly back into the local community. Similarly, every fall she purchases for, then assembles, hundreds of back-to-school bags for children in transitional housing or in shelters. Those who know of Palmer’s work (including volunteers at the Jamie Moyer Foundation) clip coupons for her.

Nominated for the award by Moore and WND Kitchen Supervisor Karen (Taylor) Rider, Palmer is not at all happy at the attention being paid to her over this award. Insisting that “it is an honor to do this work”, Palmer was more than a bit reluctant to attend the awards ceremony.

Moore and Rider picked up Palmer from St. Anne’s (where she was busy preparing sandwiches for the Adult and Family Service Center) to drive her to the luncheon and awards ceremony. On the way back, Palmer insisted that the car stop again at St. Anne’s – this time to give to the retired sisters in the convent the bouquet of flowers she just accepted.