When the Food Bank Van Needed Help, They Came to Rose Hill

Steve Rasnick drives a van for Renewal Food Bank, an independent community food bank serving families in Bellevue, Washington. It's an incredibly important job to the Kirkland community.

The van gets worked hard. Four-wheeled loading carts get pushed in and out, day after day, and over time they had scraped along the side of the vehicle and left streaks of paint behind. Steve tried to handle it himself with a commercial rubbing compound. No luck. He tried a solvent next. That made things worse as some of the clear coat came off and left smudges.

He needed someone who actually knew what they were doing.

"This is a work van," Steve told us when he came in. "I don't need a full detail. I just need these paint streaks and smudges removed."

That's a reasonable ask. And it's exactly the kind of job where having the right people matters.

Steve talked to Raul, who listened, assessed the situation, and told him straight: we have the tools and the guys who can handle this. They agreed on a price. Rose Hill got to work. By the time the job was done, the van was shiny white again with streaks gone, smudges gone, and the clear coat intact.

When Steve sat down to write about the experience, he posed a question to himself: which word best described it? Capable? Flexible? Affordable?

He landed on all three.

We think about that combination a lot around here. Kirkland is a community, not a market, and the people who keep this community running, the ones driving food bank vans and making deliveries and doing quiet, unglamorous, important work, deserve the same level of care that anyone else does.

Rose Hill Car Wash has been in this neighborhood since 1992. In that time, we've learned that not every job fits a standard menu. Sometimes you need someone to look at your specific problem, tell you honestly what they can do, and then actually do it. That's what Raul and the team did for Steve.

If you've got a vehicle in the Kirkland or Bellevue area with a problem you haven't been able to solve on your own, come talk to us. No appointment needed for most services. And if it's something more involved, we'll tell you that too.

"Which of the following words best describes my experience at Rose Hill Car Wash; capable, flexible or affordable? I drive a van for a food bank. We unload that van using 4-wheeled carts. Those carts had scraped along the side of the van and left behind streaks of their paint. I tried removing that paint with a commercial rubbing compound. It didn't work. Next, I tried a solvent. That didn't work either and left smudges while removing some of the clear coat. I needed a skilled detailer. This is a work van. I don't need the services of a full on-detail shop. I just need these paint streaks & smudges removed. I brought it to Rose Hill & told Raul about my problem. He told me he had the tools & the guys who could do just that job. We settled on a price and they went to work. Everything was removed and the van was shiny white again. So back to what word describes my somewhat atypical experience at Rose Hill. Capable, flexible, or affordable. It's not one word. It's all three." – Steve

Thank you, Steve, and thank you to everyone at Renewal Food Bank for the work you do.

Rose Hill Car Wash is located at 12633 NE 85th St in Kirkland, WA. Open daily. Walk-ins welcome.