Visit our Website

Learn more about Washington Food Coalition by clicking here.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

2012 Food Bank Survey Summary (Chelan, Douglas and Grant Counties)


Community Harvest, a project of Community Farm Connection conducted a survey of food banks in Chelan, Douglas and Grant counties to assess the capacity of local food banks, evaluate current modes of food distribution, and determine the need for more fresh produce.
The goal was to obtain constructive feedback in order to develop the new gleaning project, Community Harvest, in a way that would be beneficial to already existing organizations. This survey was made to be anonymous is desired.
This survey provides some interesting data that will be useful in tracking the progress that this gleaning project makes on helping to supply food banks with more fresh produce. In addition, the survey provides basic information about regional food bank trends and what is desired by food banks in order to more effectively serve their communities.
Some of the significant findings are as follows:
  •   According the survey 86% of respondents attributed clientele fluctuation to seasonal work.
  •   Only 36% of food banks have paid staff representing 5 full time and 7 part time total for all three counties.
  •   A significant number of respondents mentioned increasing communication as way to improve the food bank system.
  •   Of the food banks surveyed 100% indicated that their clients desire more fresh fruits and vegetables. Additionally, 100% of respondents indicated an inadequate supply of fresh produce. One local food bank indicated that in 11⁄2 hours, during the food bank, they can go through over 2,000lbs of fresh produce and still could use more. As a result, many of these food banks purchase fresh produce throughout the year.
  •   Respondent’s storage capacity for produce varies widely from having walk in coolers to having a couple small refrigerators. This can be a severely limiting factor for food banks to be able to provide adequate quality and quantity of produce to clients on a regular basis. These statements show the need for some of the produce to be processed in order to increase shelf life. For example, when apples are in season drying a portion of donated apples would allow food banks to store more fruit for a longer period of time.
  •   Over 86% of food banks say that the amount of people visiting the food banks is growing and the remaining 14% say that numbers have remained consistent over the past year. One food bank indicated that clientele has dramatically risen 30% from 2010 and 37% from 2009. Another food bank responded that clientele has more than doubled in the last 6 months. The need for food assistance is increasing, often at alarming rates. Connecting local farms with local food banks is going to be essential as fuel prices rise and more people are relaying on help for basic food needs.


    Community Harvest is a project of Community Farm Connection, committed to supporting small farmers and improving consumer access to locally grown food. Community Harvest, through gleaning, encourages a reduction in food waste while helping to feed our local community.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Summer Meals News


May 24, 2012
 
It's Time for Sponsors to Turn in Their Summer Meals Application 
 
Summer meal sponsors are finalizing their plans for this summer's programs and need to turn in their application to OSPI as soon as possible.  Getting applications in now helps OSPI  approve summer meal sites before school lets out and helps us spread the word to families about where to go this summer.
 
Plan Summer Meals Outreach to Feed More Kids in Your Community
 
Girl with milk Whether you are a sponsor, meal site or community organization, you can help families learn where kids can eat this Summer. 
Consider these outreach strategies to promote Summer Meals:
 
While school is still in session
  • Publish meal sites on the school menu
  • Send a Summer Meals flyer home with kids
  • Post Summer Meals on the school sign/readerboard
  • Work with your local school to set up automated calls to families over the summer publicizing local meal sites or directing them to call the statewide Family Food Hotline for local site information
After school is out
Order Free Summer Meals Outreach Materials
 
WithinReach is a statewide non-profit organization that connects Washington families to food and health resources.  They offer free materials in English and Spanish to promote the Summer Meals program in your community.
It's not to late to apply for United Way of King County Summer Meal Grants
 
Boy with appleGrants for sponsors are still available to expand summer meal programs in King County (non-King County programs are not eligible to apply). Funds can be used for equipment, staff and outreach.
 
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until June 15th
 
Summer Meals Resource Toolkit
 
The online toolkit offers information and resources to help schools and community-based organizations start or strengthen a summer meals program with links to grants, forms, outreach materials and more.
Sign up
 
 
The WA Summer Meals Partnership sends periodic newsletters to keep statewide partners up-to-date on the latest information about the Summer Meals Program.
border

Monday, May 14, 2012

No Kid Hungry Summer Meals Webinars Series


No Kid Hungry Summer Meals Webinars Series

REMINDER: May 15 at 4:00 p.m. ET
Summer Meals Program Outreach Webinar


Summer meals are about food, friends and fun! Join us on May 15 at 4:00 p.m. ET to hear about creative and out-of-the box ideas for getting attention about Summer Meals Programs as well as from fellow No Kid Hungry state partners about their outreach plans around media, PSAs and community and faith-based outreach. New and improved resources available to you in the Sodexo Foundation Summer Meals Outreach Toolkit on the Center for Best Practices will be highlighted. An overview of the Deloitte Summer Meals Evaluation Toolkit will also get you thinking about evaluation plans.
                Speakers Include:
·         Rhonda Jackson, New Orleans No Kid Hungry campaign
·         Debra Susie, Florida Partnership to End Childhood Hunger
·         Brain Alexander, Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in Maryland


May 22 at 1:00 p.m. ET
No Kid Hungry Social Media for Summer Meals Success Webinar

How can you best use social media and online outreach to increase participation in summer meals? This webinar will feature best practices from the Share Our Strength Web Team, updates from USDA and stories of success from No Kid Hungry campaigns. We will also ask participants to submit ideas they plan to pursue and questions they have prior to the call, making sure we talk about what matters most to you.

This call is a great chance for all No Kid Hungry campaigns and allies to learn more about what’s working in the field.

There are two steps to register:
  1. Sign up for the webinar with ReadyTalk: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/30bbfgk13l30
  2. Complete a short survey about your ideas and questions related to social media and summer meals: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/presurveysocialmedia

Friday, May 11, 2012

From Northwest Harvest: Advocates Update


NWH_LOGO_Tag-XS

Advocates Update
Friday, May 11  
IN THIS ISSUE
UPCOMING EVENTS
Attacks on SNAP
Take Action
 
UPCOMING EVENTS

May 14 and 21
Community Conversation on the City Budget
Seattle City Council 
- Central Seattle  
May 14, 6 - 7:30pm  
Seattle Central College  
1701 Broadway, Broadway Edison Building, Rm BE1110  
- South Seattle  
May 21, 6 - 7:30pm  
New Holly Gathering Hall 7054 32nd Ave S.       

May 21
Cross Cultural  Training Seattle Food Committee
12:30-4:30 p.m., Solid Ground.  
 
 
June 1
Northwest Harvest Annual Conference
Mercer Island Presbyterian 
   
June 6
Public Health and Food Policy Summit
Puget Sound Regional Food Policy Council
 
 

Northwest Harvest
PO Box 12272
Seattle, Washington 98102
Your Weekly Update:

Attacks on SNAP
In the last few weeks, we've talked about proposals in Congress that will make drastic cuts to SNAP, our federal food stamp program. Here's an update and some information from our partner coalitions on what you can do to help protect and strengthen this program.
Read more...     
  
Messages from Our Advocacy Partners
Thank you for your efforts to call and email Congress in response to our advocacy updates in the last few weeks about SNAP. If you want to take action to continue educating our Senators and your Representative about the need to strengthen and protect SNAP and the impact that the proposed cuts will have on your program and your community, please take a look at some of the action alerts from our coalition partners:
  • Bread for the World, a coalition of faith-based organizations, has a petition that lets Congress know that it is estimated that on average, church sponsored food banks and meal programs will need an additional $50,000 per year to meet the increased need for services due to loss in SNAP benefits. You can find the petition by clicking here.    
  • The Food Research Action Center has more information about Heat and Eat and talking points for urging members of Congress to protect SNAP in our Farm Bill. Visit their page here.     
  • Leave a comment for the House Agriculture Committee about the importance of SNAP, TEFAP, and CSFP for your program and the customers you serve. The deadline for comments is May 20:  agriculture.house.gov/farmbill_feedback.html.    
Find your U.S. Representative here: house.gov/representatives/find/ 
 

The mission of Northwest Harvest is to provide nutritious food to hungry people statewide in a manner that respects their dignity,
while fighting to eliminate hunger.

Our vision is that ample nutritious food is available
to everyone in Washington state.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Social Media 101 Webinar on May 17th



 
Hunger Action Month: Social Media 101 Webinar
 
Join us on May 17th at 2:00 CST for a discussion on:
  • Non-Profits & Facebook
  • Getting your brand page off the ground
  • Building out content & engagement strategies
Please pass this information on to anyone at your food bank that handles social media currently, or may be interested in learning more about social media.
 
May 17th, 2:00 CST
 
Join Online Meeting:
Join by Phone:
Conference ID: 9508905
 
You can now sign up for the Hunger Action Month Webinars and get an Outlook invite via Feeding America University. Just click here and click on 'courses' and then 'events calendar'. Once on the calendar, choose the HAM webinar you are interested in and hit 'request' to enroll. An email confirmation will be sent to you with an attached Outlook Meeting invitation.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

McDermott on the Record on SNAP


SUPPORTING THE SUPPLEMENTAL
NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
HON. JIM McDERMOTT
OF WASHINGTON
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Mr. MCDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, some of
my distinguished colleagues claim that we
must cut spending to protect the future of our
country and our children. But what costs are
we willing to incur with reckless cuts to a critical
program that has helped 46 million Americans
stay fed? If we cut SNAP, we will be
throwing the baby out with the bath water.
Children make up nearly half of the Americans
who rely on food stamps. SNAP continues
to play an instrumental role in our nation’s
economic recovery, helping millions of
struggling American families to feed their kids.
With SNAP, students across the country can
start each day well-fed and ready to learn.
There’s no question that SNAP works. The
best way to shrink the program is not through
funding cuts, but by making the American
dream a reality for all Americans once again.
If we truly want to protect our children’s future,
we cannot steal food off their dinner tables. To
protect our future, we must protect SNAP.

From Children's Alliance: The Facts About “Heat and Eat” and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Washington State




The Facts About:


“Heat and Eat” and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Washington State

Congress is proposing major cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called food stamps) at a time when Washington’s caseload continues to grow due to the slowed economic recovery. Washington anti-hunger advocates are concerned about proposed changes to the program  that would have a direct and significant impact on many Washingtonians who rely on nutrition assistance benefits to feed their families.

SNAP is the number one defense against hunger in America and is a vital lifeline for over one million Washingtonians who continue to struggle during these times of severe economic distress. 

What is the “heat and eat” option?
For many families, limited income results in tough choices between “heating or eating.”  For young children, adequate nutrition may be jeopardized because limited funds must go to keeping a roof over their heads and the lights on. 

Congress granted states the flexibility to assist families with high heating costs by providing a Standard Utility Adjustment (SUA), particularly important to areas of Washington with severe winters.  In 2009, the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services expanded the number of households able to receive this SUA by implementing a “heat and eat” $1 benefit from the LIHEAP energy assistance program. This special LIHEAP benefit simplifies the benefit calculation for these households and significantly increases their SNAP benefits.

What is the proposed change to this option?
The Farm Bill approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee in April 2012 includes a $4.5 billion over ten years cut to SNAP created by increasing the threshold amount of LIHEAP needed to trigger the SUA to $10.  The proposed change would place the “heat and eat” option out of reach of states like Washington who are experiencing reductions in LIHEAP funding. 

What is the impact of the proposed change to “heat and eat” on hungry families and local communities?
The change to the “heat and eat” option is not simply a technical change.  It is a change that would reduce SNAP benefits for a minimum of 200,000 households in Washington by $90 per household per month, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

When implemented in 2009, the “heat and eat” option resulted in increased benefits for 40% of Washington’s SNAP caseload, resulting in an additional $42 million in benefits spent in Washington grocery stores in 2009.  With a total of $9 of economic activity per each $5 of benefits spent, this change created $75 million in the stalling economy. 

Since fiscal year 2009, when the option was implemented, the number of Washington households receiving SNAP has increased by nearly 50%. Loss of the “heat and eat” option now would take $218 million in benefits away from Washington families, and $388 million in total economic activity away from the state’s economy.

What is the impact of the proposed change on the State of Washington?
Implementing the “heat and eat” option streamlined administration of SNAP in Washington, saving the equivalent of 14.5 full-time equivalents.  Workload savings occurred because eligibility workers did not have to comb through utility bills, landlord statements and other documentation to verify utility expenses of families qualifying for SNAP. 

Between 2008 and 2012, local Community Services Offices lost 410 FTEs due to state budget reductions and hiring freezes.  Implementing “heat and eat” as well as other options to streamline SNAP administration allows DSHS to continue to provide timely benefits to eligible and hungry Washington families.

Joining together to oppose the change to “heat and eat”
Governor Christine Gregoire has joined anti-hunger advocates in calling on Washington’s Congressional Delegation to voice their opposition to the proposed change to “heat and eat” to House and Senate Agriculture Committee members. 

As Washington continues to rebuild from the severe economic downturn, SNAP benefits are a critical support to working families.  This is not the time to restrict state options to streamline the program, or eliminate state options that make SNAP more responsive to households affected by high heating costs.

We urge the US Congress to strongly support retention of the “heat and eat” option in the SNAP program in the 2012 Farm Bill.


__________________________________________________________
For more information, contact Linda Stone, Food Policy Director, Children’s Alliance, linda@childrensalliance.org and 509-844-1314

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Follow the Harvest Blog!

Stay up to date on all the latest news and happenings from Rotary First Harvest and the Harvest Against Hunger project! Click here to view the Harvest Blog        .