Washington and Oregon go head-to-head to feed the hungry
OLYMPIA – Hunger continues to remain a problem for many residents in the Pacific Northwest, which is why theWashington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) are joining together to support the month-long Northwest Farmers Fighting Hunger campaign.
As part of the event, WSDA Director Bud Hover and ODA Director Katy Coba will compete to see which state can generate the greatest participation in the event. The winner will be awarded a cow bell trophy, courtesy of the Washington Dairy Products Commission, which the state will hold until the following year’s competition.
“I like the friendly competition. That said, it’s not important which state brings in the most food or money, but that we all work together to do so,” Director Hover said. “For too many people in our state, having enough food on the table to feed themselves and their families is a real problem. I hope that our participation can help.”
The food and cash drive, organized by Northwest Dairy Farmers and Fred Meyer stores, will benefit Food Lifeline, Second Harvest and the Oregon Food Bank during June Dairy Month. The goal is to raise $100,000 and 100,000 pounds of food.
The kick-off for the campaign will be at the Ballard Fred Meyer store, 915 NW 45th St., Seattle, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 5. Director Hover and staff members from WSDA’s Food Assistance Program will be at the event, along with representatives from the Washington Food Coalition and several agricultural commodity commissions.
During June, collection bins will be set up at Fred Meyer stores in Washington and Oregon to collect canned goods, other non-perishable food items or non-food donations like disposal diapers. To increase participation, Fred Meyer will mail 136,000 postcards to customers, each postcard containing a coupon for a dairy item and a barcode that shoppers can use to contribute to a local food assistance organization.
Donations made at Fred Meyer stores west of the Cascades will go to Food Lifeline while donations made at Fred Meyer stores east of the Cascades will go to Second Harvest. Donations made in Clark County, Washington, will go to the Oregon Food Bank, which works in tandem with the Clark County Food Bank.
In Washington, one in five residents visited a food bank at least once last year, according to figures collected by the WSDA Food Assistance Program.
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