ACTION ALERT: Tell Senator Murray to Protect Federal Anti-Hunger Programs in Debt Reduction Process

Hunger Relief Partners:

As you may know, we, in Washington State have a unique and time-limited opportunity to impact the federal deficit reduction process: our US Senator Patty Murray was appointed to co-chair the 12-member Joint Committee charged with creating a plan to reduce the deficit by more than $1 trillion. The Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition has put together a Washington-specific sign-on letter that will be delivered to Senator Murray on September 12^th. We invite your organization to amplify our voices by signing on by September 8th!

Background:

Funding for federal nutrition programs remains vulnerable and will likely face cuts in the deficit reduction process. Already, more than a trillion dollars has been cut from the federal budget over the next 10 years, resulting in devastating impacts on programs that protect the basic needs of hard-working Americans who struggle to put food on the table. These spending cuts will be multiplied in Washington State as a result of cuts-only state budgets that have frayed our safety net dangerously.

The Super Committee is allowed to consider cuts to any discretionary or entitlement programs, including SNAP, WIC, child nutrition programs, TEFAP and other basic services. These crucial programs provide for the most fundamental need: access to regular, healthy food for vulnerable populations – poor pregnant women, children, and households with extraordinarily limited means to meet life’s basic demands.

In addition to being an essential service, many of these programs provide economic stimulus by ensuring money is circulating quickly through local communities. This protects jobs and supports businesses in these precarious times.

Our Message to Senator Murray:

Join us in sending a message to Senator Patty Murray, Co-Chair of the Super Committee, urging her to:

1. Keep the nutritional needs of our most vulnerable Americans at the forefront as decisions are made about our national priorities. Fundamental changes and devastating cuts to benefits for safety net programs – those that provide basic needs like food and health - should not be included in plans to balance the national budget.

2. Approve a balanced package with significant new revenues to balance any cuts to the safety net.

This information and the signature form are available online at www.wsahnc.org

For additional questions or if you have trouble with the form contact us at ahnc@wsahnc.org

Event Info: First Annual Thriving Communities Conference

First Annual Thriving Communities Conference

November 13 - 16, 2011
Building a Healthy Local Food System

Designed for community-based teams and individuals working on creating thriving local communities.

Join us on South Whidbey Island for our inaugural Thriving Communities Conference, the first of a series of annual conferences exploring the critical issues facing small communities.

This year we'll explore how to build a thriving local food system, using the South Whidbey Island community as a living laboratory. We'll look at the defining attributes of a healthy local food system, common challenges and how to overcome them.

As a participant, you will have an opportunity to create your own community food blueprint during the conference, and join an ongoing learning network to help propel your community work.

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Schedule:

Conference schedule and content is in the final stages of design; program will be shared in early September. General structure outline is as follows:

Sunday, November 13

6:00 pm	Dinner
7:00 pm	Welcome and Opening

Monday, November 14

8:00 am	Breakfast
9:00 am	Morning Content
12:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm	Afternoon Content
6:00 pm	Community Dinner
7:30 pm	Evening Activities

Tuesday, November 15

8:00 am	Breakfast
9:00 am	Morning Content
12:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm	Afternoon Content
6:00 pm	Community Dinner
7:30 pm	Evening Activities

Wednesday, November 16

8:00am	Breakfast
9:00am	Morning Content
12:30pm	Lunch
1:30pm	Afternoon Content Completion and Departure at 4pm

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Registration

Early Bird Registration available through October 1, 2011	$295
General Registration	$325

Registration covers your participation for the entire session, beginning with the opening Sunday evening, to the completion on Wednesday evening.

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Lodging

$180 + tax for the three days. Extended stay through to Thursday morning available at no additional fee. Most rooms are shared; bathrooms are shared.

Lodging at the Whidbey Institute allows you to fully dive into the Thriving Communities Conference experience. The available accommodations can house only a portion of attending participants; if you would like to stay in one of our rooms please reserve your space now when you register for the conference. We will contact one week prior to the conference with your room assignment and other details.

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Meals

All Meals Beginning with dinner Sunday evening, completing with lunch Wednesday	$150 +tax
Breakfast	$12 +tax
Lunch	$16 +tax
Dinner	$26 +tax

Christyn Johnson, our extraordinary chef, is committed to providing delicious, nourishing meals from locally sourced ingredients. The shared meals are wonderful part of the Thriving Communities Conference experience. Comments from other Whidbey Institute events:

"The food is beyond fabulous"

"Christyn's food was so good I'm still thinking about it."

"I've never tasted love before - every meal was infused with it."

Meals can be purchased on a per-meal basis when registering, or all at once for a total of $150 +tax. You are also welcome to bring your own meals.

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Scholarships

If you are able, please consider supporting the participation of a student or financially limited individual. All funds collected for the scholarship account will be distributed.

Contact ThrivingCommunities@WhidbeyInstitute.org for information about scholarship support.

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Cancellation & Refund Policy

Balance payments are due no later than two weeks before the program begins.

If, after paying the full course fee you find it necessary to cancel, a full refund minus $25 will be given if notice is received at least one month prior to the event. If notice of cancellation is received between one week and one month prior, a 50% refund will be given. For cancellations received less than a week prior to the event, no refund can be given. Contact ThrivingCommunities@WhidbeyInstitute.org

Conference and meal passes are fully transferable; please communicate changes as soon as is possible to ThrivingCommunities@WhidbeyInstitute.org.

Farmers’ Markets Growing by Leaps and Bounds

From Foodlinks America – August 26, 2011 ☛

Click to Subscribe

Farmers’ Markets Growing by Leaps and Bounds

More than a thousand new farmers’ markets opened across the country last year, testifying to consumer interest in buying local fruits and vegetables. The 2011 National Farmers’ Market Directory from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) contains 7,175 entries, up from 6,132 in 2010.

"The remarkable growth in farmers markets is an excellent indicator of the staying power of local and regional foods," said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. "These outlets provide economic benefits for producers to grow their businesses and also to communities by providing increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables and other foods. In short, they are a critical ingredient in our nation's food system."

The two states with the largest growth in farmers’ markets, at 46 and 38 percent respectively, were Alaska and Texas. Rounding out the top ten fastest growing states were Colorado (38 percent); New Mexico (38 percent); Indiana (37 percent); Oklahoma (32 percent); South Dakota (32 percent); Pennsylvania (31 percent); Ohio (31 percent); and Michigan (30 percent)

California leads in the number of markets with 729, followed by New York at 520, then Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Iowa, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. For additional details, see: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=2011/08/0338.xml.

SNAP Participation Surges

From Foodlinks America – August 26, 2011 ☛

Click to Subscribe

Participation surges in May: Enrollment in the Special Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or food stamps increased by more than a million people in May 2011 to a record 45.7 million Americans. The May total of 45,573,078 people was 1,105,217 individuals more than in April 2011 and nearly five million people more than in May 2010. Nationwide participation in SNAP has grown for 32 consecutive months, since November 2008.

One in every seven Americans now relies on food stamps to help feed their family. More people are currently getting SNAP benefits than at any time in history.

Caseload increases were noticeable in every part of the country. The ten states with the largest increases over the past year (since May 2010) were: Alabama (118 percent); New Jersey (20.4 percent); North Carolina (20.4 percent); Delaware (19.1 percent); Minnesota (19.1 percent); Maryland (18.6 percent), Nevada (18.6 percent); Florida (17.0 percent); Idaho (16.1 percent); and New Mexico, (15.4 percent).

COLAs for FY12 put in place: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced fiscal year 2012 cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for SNAP. Under the February 2009 legislation known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), maximum SNAP benefits were raised by 13.6 percent above the June 2008 value of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP). The law directed that benefits provided could not fall below that level as long as the ARRA was in effect.

Consequently, maximum and minimum allotments for fiscal year 2012 will remain unchanged for the period of October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012. The shelter cap is increased slightly to $459 per month and the minimum standard deduction for households of three or less increases to $147 per month.

For additional information, review an August 2, 2011 memorandum from USDA at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/whats_new.htm, under number 23 for fiscal year 2011.

Grant Opportunity: AARP Foundation Grants Program Funding for Hunger Solutions

Sustainable Solutions to Hunger Innovation Grants
WHO MAY APPLY

Nonprofit, 501 (c) (3), senior-serving and/or hunger-focused organizations, which seek to develop or scale sustainable solutions to hunger for food insecure Americans age 50 and older, are eligible to apply. This includes, but is not limited to the following:

• National nonprofits
• State or local level nonprofits
• Community-based organizations
• Faith-based organizations

The following are NOT eligible to receive funding through this grant award, but may be identified partners and can contribute funds toward the cost sharing requirements for this grant:

• For-profit organizations
• Retailers

Proposals must focus on:

• Food Access - an individual's ability to obtain and make use of food
  
• Food Affordability - the cost of food and an individual's ability to pay for it
• Food Adequacy - access to nutritious and safe food at all times and/or
  
• Food Appropriateness - meeting fundamental nutritional requirements for a given person depending on their needs.

Proposals must address the needs of food-insecure adults age 50 and over and could include one or more of the following*:

• Education about how to prepare healthy and affordable meals utilizing available resources
• Uniting or bridging gaps in local food systems
• Building capacity and making connections between farms and communities, or otherwise bridging gaps in supply and demand
• Innovative agricultural and farming techniques
• Agricultural practices that benefit the 50 and over population
• Coordinating food services with community-based outlets to reduce barriers to access
• Creating nutrition education programs for 50 and over population to enhance food purchasing and food preparation skills and to heighten awareness of the connection between diet and health
• Resource mapping to identify available resources and gaps in resources necessary to end hunger in the community
• Developing tools to assess hunger on a one-time or continual basis
• Planning and training activities
• Effectively integrating public and private resources, including local businesses, to alleviate food insecurity
• Developing innovative, sustainable food resources for the 50 and over population.

*This list is not intended to be comprehensive — only to spur ideas. Other innovative concepts focused on sustainable solutions for hunger for 50+ are encouraged and will be equally considered.

Out-of-Scope

AARP Foundation will not award Sustainable Solutions to Hunger Innovation Grants to projects focused on solely on feeding people (i.e., supplying short-term hunger relief), such as:

• Delivering food and/or meals
• Providing/serving congregate meals to seniors
• Funding for food-drives

How to Apply

Complete the Eligibility Questionnaire

Download the RFP

Get Ready for Hunger Action Month

		Take Action This September September is Hunger Action Month and Feeding America, with the help of our nationwide network of more than 200 member food banks, is asking all Americans to play a role in ending hunger this September. Visit HungerActionMonth.org today and help us get off to a great start towards our goal to reach 1 million people this September. Watch celebrity videos to learn a real story of hunger Share videos with your friends and family Take action by learning about hunger in your community and 30 ways in 30 days to fight hunger with your local food bank

Meet Our Members: Emergency Feeding Program Garage Sale

Save BIG!

Feed Your Hungry Neighbors!

Garage Sale

August 25th - 27th

Join us August 25th, 26th & 27th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for the Emergency Feeding Program's first ever garage sale.

To be held at EFP's warehouse at 7100 42nd Avenue South in Seattle's Holly Park neighborhood (directly behind the Chase Bank building on the corner of MLK and South Myrtle St.) you'll be sure to find something to treasure.

Furniture, clothing, books, toys, you name it, we'll have loads to offer at low prices. But even better, all proceeds will be used to benefit the increasing number of struggling local families that are reaching out to the Emergency Feeding Program for help keeping food on the family table.

Many thanks to all the individuals, families and faith communities that have donated so many wonderful items.

Now it's your turn! Come and save. Come and make a difference in your community.

For more information call EFP at (206) 329-0300.

Looking for a way to save money on quality merchandise and help your hungry neighbors at the same time?

Event Info from WA State Food & Nutrition Council - Step Up to the Plate: Advocating Sustainable and Accessible Food Systems

The Washington State Food and Nutrition Council 2011 conference will feature experts in various areas of advocacy who will provide participants with the knowledge and tools to effect positive changes in their community. At times like this, preserving public health food and nutrition programs requires public health professionals, clinicians and community members to equip themselves with strong advocacy skills.

Check out this year's lineup:


HOME PLATE: ADVOCACY 101

Presented by Keynote Speaker, Nancy Amidei

A nationally-recognized writer, teacher and advocate, Nancy has been involved in social policy from both inside and outside government. She is a former Director of the Food Research and Action Center, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the federal department of Health, Education, and Welfare (now DHHS), and Staff member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs. In her recent work as Project Director of the Civic Engagement Project, she regularly provides advocacy training, resources, and workshops for public health professionals.


1ST BASE: GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY

Select from two different break-out sessions: grassroots advocacy with Jennifer Hall, Spokane Community Food Builder, or patient advocacy with Carolyn Gleason of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau


2ND BASE: WORKING WITH MEDIA

Learn how to use the power of media to advance healthy public policy from Ingrid Daffner Krasnow of Berkeley Media Studies Group


3RD BASE: TALKING TO LEGISLATORS

Hear the "State of the State" from Representative Eric Pettigrew

Practice your new advocacy skills and join in a panel discussion with Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin


HOME RUN: INFLUENCING POLICY CHANGE

Be an effective advocate for your community, patients and profession.


CONFERENCE INFORMATION

Date: Friday, September 9th, 2011
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (registration starts at 8 a.m.)
Place: Lynwood Convention Center


REGISTRATION FEES

Current WSFNC Member: $75.00
New and renewing members: $75.00 + $25.00 membership fee
Non-member: $125.00
Student: $40.00

Registration fee includes: continental breakfast, lunch, all conference materials, and 6 CPE credits for registered dietitians and dietetic technicians, registered.


Register today by visiting www.wsfnc.org

The conference flyer is attached. Please circulate to your colleagues or anyone else that may be interested in attending.

Job Opportunity: Clark County Food Bank Executive Director

Job Opportunity: Clark County Food Bank Executive Director

Title: Executive Director

Status: Regular, Full time, exempt position

Salary range: $65,000 – 75,000 annually DOE, plus benefits

Background

The Clark County Food Bank originated in 1985 as a local coalition of hunger relief agencies to combat hunger and “food insecurity” in Clark County. This year, CCFB will distribute about 3.5 million pounds of food to needy families in Clark County. The need for the Food Bank has never been greater. The community has responded to this need by helping to raise over $4 million to build a new facility and expand our services, with the opening planned for December 2011. This will more than double our space and greatly expand the volume and diversity of products we can accept-- especially fresh, frozen, and perishable items—so we can provide added support to partner agencies, and serve more people.

The Position

CCFB is looking for an energetic, experienced leader to step into the leadership of the Food Bank at a tremendously exciting time in our history. As a member of the Oregon Food Bank Network, and working jointly with The Salvation Army, we have a strong distribution capability serving 27 partner agencies in Clark County. We are looking for someone who can build on the momentum we have created with a successful capital campaign and the new facility to increase our capacity to address the issues of hunger in Clark County.

Are you a talented non-profit leader with the proven ability to oversee, nurture and grow a multi-million dollar organization?

• Do you have the highest level of integrity, openness in communication, and passionate commitment to our mission to be the public face of the Clark County Food Bank?
• Are you a proven visionary leader who can bring your creative skills to build an organization that can successfully meet challenges as great as the problem of hunger in our community?
• Do you have proven success working with major donors in partnership to support a mission that is meaningful to them?
• Have you overseen ongoing and inspired fundraising efforts to provide yearly operational dollars?
• Do you have passion for, knowledge of and a demonstrated commitment to social causes, ideally around issues of hunger?
• Can you communicate that passion clearly to inspire others and galvanize the community in pursuit of our mission?
• Do you have the proven ability to build a staff, inspire team work, and create an organization that people are proud and energized to work with?
• Do you have exceptional skills and proven experience working with a highly motivated and experienced Board of Directors?

This is an exciting, high level, high profile position. The Executive Director will have overall responsibility for building a new organization and will have the following experience and characteristics:

· A minimum of 8-10 years of proven successful leadership experience, preferably working with a nonprofit organization, leading by example in a collaborative way that inspires others, builds consensus and serves the community.

· A proven track record in fundraising and development, cultivating major donors and ensuring the financial integrity of the organization.

· A visionary, big-picture person who sees the road ahead, not the road behind.

· Experience leading, growing and working hand in hand with an effective Board of Directors.

· Exceptional written and oral communication skills, including inspired public speaking.

· Oversight of all fiscal aspects of a growing multi-million dollar nonprofit, including preparing annual budgets, monitoring expenses and meeting financial goals.

To learn more about CCFB: please go to: www.clarkcountyfoodbank.org

To Apply: Please submit a detailed letter showing your passion and fit for the mission of CCFB and why you should be the next Executive Director, as well as names of four references, how you heard about this position, and a complete chronological resume to: bhazen@nonprofitoregon.org with “CCFB” in the title by Monday, September 12th at 12:00pm.

Meet our Members: Bremerton Foodline

“Placing nutritious food on the table for those in need in our community”

The Bremerton Foodline can be found just a short ferry ride from Seattle nestled strategically between a high school and a local college. With hopes of engaging the community around them, the Foodline chose to be near students who might engage in the work being done next door. Established in 1908 the Foodline has a rich history of providing food and referral services in a caring and respectful manner. With the poverty level approaching 20% in Bremerton, the food bank works hard to feed about 17,000 families annually. Clients are able to access Foodline on a monthly basis, although emergency bags are available if extra food is necessary. Foodline strives to preserve the dignity of their clients by creating a grocery store atmosphere within the warehouse were clients can walk around with a shopping cart and select food they want. Dependent on the family’s size, they are given a guidance form that informs them of the numbers of items they qualify for. Friendly volunteers greet them at every step of the process, making each visit run smoothly. Like many other food banks today, Foodline has a small garden outside that produces about 1,000 pounds per year to distribute to clients. Kale, lettuce, carrots, and many other veggies are tended by volunteers on a weekly basis. But besides providing food, Foodline also has a Back to School drive so they can provide the necessary school supplies to their clients at the end of the summer. They also collect jackets throughout the year to be distributed during the winter months. The Foodline has a great partnership with the neighboring high school, welcoming students with special needs to develop skills while volunteering at the food bank. Students are able to help repack and organize products that are later distributed to clients. Open five days a week, the staff and volunteers of the Bremerton Foodline are working tirelessly to meet the increasing need in their community .

For more information please visit: www.bremertonfoodline.org

FRAC Release: Nearly One in Four of Nation's Households with Children Report Inability to Afford Enough Food

Nearly One in Four of Nation’s Households with Children Report Inability to Afford Enough Food

FRAC Releases New Analysis of Gallup Data on Food Hardship in Households with and without Children through 2010, Including Rates for Every Congressional District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer Adach, 202-986-2200 x3018

Washington, D.C. – August 11, 2011 – Nearly one in four U.S. households with children struggled to afford enough food for themselves and their families in 2010, according to a new report (pdf) released today by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). The analysis separately examines food hardship rates – the inability to afford enough food – for households with children and without children nationally and in every state, every Congressional District and 100 of the country’s largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs).

FRAC’s Food Hardship in America series analyzes data that were collected by Gallup and provided to FRAC. The data were gathered as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index project, which has interviewed more than one million households since January 2008. FRAC has analyzed responses to the question: “Have there been times in the past twelve months when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?”

The analysis released today shows that food hardship rates are very high both for households with children and for households without children. Nationally in 2010 the food hardship rate for households without children was 14.9 percent, and it was 23.4 percent for families with children.

When examining state data just for households without children, every state (except for one) reports food hardship rates higher than 10 percent in 2009-2010 and five states report rates of 20 percent or higher.

But, not surprisingly, given relative national poverty and hunger rates, the situation for households with children is far worse. Among the findings of deep and widespread food hardship are the following:

• 368 Congressional Districts have at least one in six households with children struggling with food hardship, answering that they did not have enough money to buy needed food at times in the last 12 months. 195 Congressional Districts have a food hardship rate of at least one in four for households with children.
  

• Of the 100 largest MSAs, 40 had at least one in four households with children (25 percent or more) struggling with food hardship and every one of the 100 largest MSAs had 15 percent or more of such households affirmatively answering the Gallup question.
  

• In 21 states and the District of Columbia the rate for households with children reporting food hardship exceeded 25 percent.

“The data in this report show that food hardship – running out of money to buy the food that households need – is a substantial challenge in every corner of this country,” said FRAC President Jim Weill. “These data demonstrate, as if any further evidence were needed, that this is not the time to make our safety net weaker. Congress must ensure that all deficit consideration protects federal nutrition programs – SNAP (food stamps) and child nutrition and senior nutrition programs – and other parts of the safety net that help low-income people.”

“These data merely underscore what every Member of Congress should know already -- that his or her district has tens of thousands of households struggling with hunger or food insecurity,” said Weill. “Weakening any of these key safety net programs will make hunger and malnutrition more common and deeper. It will increase fiscal deficits, further weaken the economy, and increase human suffering in the district.”

FRAC also noted that the data in this report show states, cities, counties and school districts have to do a much better job using federally-funded anti-hunger programs in order to reduce hunger. State participation rates and shortfalls in key programs can be found on FRAC’s website. Reaching more people with these programs would translate to less hunger, healthier children, more federal dollars flowing into the state, more economic growth, and more jobs.

The full report is available at www.frac.org (pdf).

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The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) is the lead advocacy organization working to end hunger in America through stronger public policies. For more information, visit www.frac.org. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/ foodresearchandactioncenter or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/fractweets.

Analysis of Deficit Agreement by Feeding America

Analysis of Deficit Agreement

Prepared by Feeding America 8-2-2011 The deal reached by the Administration and Congress late Sunday July 31 would create a multi-phased process for dealing with the deficit and the debt limit. This page includes: Overview: summary of the deal, including the potential impact on federal nutrition programs Action Steps: two immediate actions you can take this week OVERVIEW The agreement would reduce the deficit by at least $2.1 trillion over 10 years and would allow for an increase in the debt limit through the end of 2012. Both deficit reduction and the debt limit increase would be executed in two phases. Phase One Deficit Reduction: Imposes a 10-year cap on discretionary spending beginning in FY2012, resulting in $917 billion in savings over 10 years. Debt Ceiling: Authorizes an immediate increase in the debt limit of $400 billion, followed by another $500 billion increase after Congress votes on a "resolution of disapproval." Impact on Nutrition Programs: Discretionary nutrition programs like TEFAP, CSFP, and WIC would be on the table for potentially severe cuts. Because the discretionary cap would not be applied across-the-board, we would still have the opportunity to advocate for discretionary nutrition programs each year through the annual appropriations process. Phase Two Deficit Reduction: Forms a Joint Committee consisting of 6 members from each chamber divided equally between Democrats and Republicans to draft legislation reducing the deficit by an additional $1.5 trillion over 10 years. The legislation must be submitted to Congress by November 23 and voted on by December 23. To put pressure on Congress to come to an agreement, failure to enact at least $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction would trigger across-the-board spending cuts to both discretionary and mandatory programs beginning in 2013. (Certain programs would be exempt from the across-the-board trigger, including SNAP, CSFP, and child nutrition programs, as well as some other entitlement and low-income safety net programs.) Debt Ceiling: An additional increase in the debt ceiling would be authorized only if Congress enacts deficit reduction of at least $1.2 trillion or enacts a Balanced Budget Amendment and sends it to the states for ratification. Impact on Nutrition Programs: All federal nutrition programs would be on the table for potentially severe funding cuts, changes in program structure, or program elimination. ACTION STEPS There will be two opportunities to influence the process: 1. the immediate round of discretionary spending cuts, and 2. the Joint Committee proposal due out in November. We must continue to demonstrate the importance of protecting nutrition assistance programs through sustained and effective engagement over the weeks and months ahead.

Seattle Food Committee Van Tour

Yesterday a group of about 40 members of the Seattle Food Committee loaded into cars and vans to visit several of the major players in the Emergency Food World throughout Seattle. Beginning at 2-1-1, participants were given a tour and detailed description of the work done to connect King County residents with necessary services. From their the vans took the group to the Pike Market Senior Center to meet the director and master Chef who prepares 14 meals a week (breakfast and lunch) to their members which totaled 1,111 meals last year. Just a short walk down stairs, participants found the Downtown Food Bank and were given a tour of their facilities which are just a stones throw form the bustling Public Market. The tour continued at the Food Bank at St. Mary's which is one of the oldest Food Banks in Seattle. This specific Food Bank had a beautiful new barn for organizing and storing food, thanks to the generous donations of many local organizations. The tour ended at Within Reach with a presentation about their operations and a tour of the facilities. The entire day was a successful reminder of the work being done around Washington to support those struggling to meet basic needs.

Pictures below and links to the websites of all organizations highlighted.

Artwork displaying donors from the St. Mary's Food Bank

Pre-packed bags at St. Mary's Food Bank

Outside St. Mary's Food Bank

St. Mary's new barn

Pictured above in the contents of St. Mary's dry food bags given to clients without access to a kitchen.

Down Town Food Bank's raised garden beds

Inside the Down Town Food Bank

2-1-1

Pike Market Senior Center

Down Town Food Bank

Food Bank at St. Mary's

Within Reach