Senator Reichert Gets a Taste of Summer Meals in Entiat

On Tuesday August 19^th Senator Dave Reichert got a taste of what a summer meal program is like- literally! He spent his lunch time at Entiat Valley Community Services Food Bank joining parents, kids, volunteers, food bank staff and hunger advocates to talk about the importance of summer meals. Sen. Reichert arrived, and after introductions, was served one of the same lunches that the kids in attendance were getting that day. Everyone was sitting at a long table - including all of the kiddos at one end.

May Segle, the EVCSFB director, then told the story of their summer meal program. After attending a workshop about summer meals at a Washington Food Coalition annual conference, May felt inspired to start her own site. It was hard! Their first year only served 69 meals, and it was difficult to feel like they were making a difference. So May researched how other summer meal programs down the west coast, and even reaching as far as Texas, became successful. She focused on reaching out to rural programs. Entiat is a rural area, and they face issues that urban meal programs might not. Namely, transporting food to satellite sites to reach as many kids as possible, extreme weather conditions, and creating community awareness about the program. After May’s research she returned the next summer determined to feed a lot of hungry kids, and she did! The second year they served 340 meals, last year they served 890 meals and this year they have already surpassed that mark. Reichert exclaimed, “You’re an angel!” as May explained her hard work over the past 30 years that she has dedicated to fighting hunger and poverty in her community.  

May’s work will be made much easier if the Summer Meals Act of 2014 is enacted. This legislation would enable the program to reach more kids and provide meals more often. It would also have a transportation grant fund, which is essential for programs like May’s whose kids are spread out over a rural landscape. Lastly, it would allow for a seamless transition for a site to go from serving summer meals to afterschool snacks (at the moment it requires re-registration and a ton of paperwork!). We are currently only feeding 1 in 7 kids over the summer who are normally fed during the school year. This is unacceptable, and Senator Reichert agreed. Reichert shared his background in law-enforcement and his own tumultuous adolescence facing hunger as a runaway. He viewed May’s program as a crime prevention measure. He made the connection that kids who are not hungry and who spend time in constructive and supportive environments, like those provided by summer meal sites across the nation, have a chance at staying out of trouble with the law and leading fulfilling lives. With his support of the Summer Meals Act of 2014, Washington has a chance to break away from its current ranking of 39th in the nation for summer meals participation.

Entiat Valley Community Services Food Bank has an amazing array of services that they provide in addition to summer meals. To learn more please visit their website here! 

Operation Sack Lunch's 25th Anniversary Gala

We Invite you to join us for

For more information or to donate: Website Blog Donate Here SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE You can be our Maestro or a member of the Choir. Sponsorship opportunities are available for this event starting at $500, and included a wonderful list of benefits from VIP treatment at the event to a catered lunch for 50. Contact us now to find out how you can be a major part of our next 25 years.   For more information and the complete sponsorship package:   call:  206.922.2078 or email kim@oslserves.org

OSL has served more than 4 million meals to those who are challenged with hunger in our community over the past 25 years. We are celebrating this major milestone with a Gala Event that includes a concert, private reception, silent auction on October 25th, 2014. Featuring OSL's Executive Director, Beverly Graham, a singer/songwriter/recording artist, who founded OSL in 1989 with an organic ethic, and has intricately woven OSL into a leadership role in Seattle's emergency and sustainable food system. OSL serves 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, 500,000 meals annually. The celebration begins at 6:00PM with a private reception, and the concert begins at 7:30. Although the main concert is offered as a gift to the audience, the special reception does have a $100.00 cost per ticket. This smaller, pre-concert event is offered to only 150 guests and includes appetizers and desserts created by the fabulous OSL chefs, a variety of fine wines, elbow rubbing with the band members, a sneak preview and first bidding opportunities on silent auction items, first choice of concert seats (and did we mention the great food and wine?). The concert begins at 7:30, and is a no-charge event, open everyone. Blocks of seats may be reserved through event sponsorship,(call for information). There will also be a donation opportunity the night of the event for those wishing to support the continued work OSL does for those who struggle with hunger.  Reserve Tickets Here Click here to reserve tickets for this event. There are limited tickets available, so reserve early. Group seating is available through Sponsorship (see left) Beverly Graham  Beverly Graham has been a creating and performing artist/musician since the age of fifteen, has recorded eight full-length albums and has written and illustrated six children's books. She uses her abilities as a performer, writer, and inspirational speaker to create environments that heal, share, and promote open-mindedness.Beverly is the Founding Executive Director of OSL, and the force behind the four million meals served over the last 25 years.  The Story of OSL If you are interested in how it all started, and want to get a glimpse of the faces behind the hundreds of thousands of lives saved over the the last 25 years, please watch OSL's Anniversary video, debuted earlier this year at our Only Servings Love Annual Luncheon.

Job Announcement:Time-Limited Nutrition Education Coordinator at Solid Ground

"The Education Coordinator is responsible for conducting nutrition and gardening education classes for Seattle Public School students and families. They will partner with an AmeriCorps member and school staff to develop, implement and evaluate a school-wide healthy eating program, hold events, recruit volunteers and teach outdoor farm classes."

See job description and application below:

Job Opening at Solid Ground_Time Limited Nutrition Education Coordinator

Solid Ground Application

It's August Recess: Let's meet with our Legislators!

August means that members of congress are on recess, but they probably are not playing a big game of kickball. They are home in their districts and looking to connect with constituents! Now is the perfect time to reach out and invite them to visit your agency or program. By having a Member out to visit your site, they learn what matters to their constituents and are more apt to championing your mission and goals.  The visit can be tailored as a tour for the Member, or you can invite them to any August or September celebration events. 

General Resources:

If you are unsure about how to connect with a Member of Congress, ServiceNation has put together a resource page to help you start advocating for national service, and these guidelines can be reused to advocate for other issues as well.

ServiceNation’s Webinar Educating Members of Congress &Cultivating Service Champions

A Guide to Requesting a Meeting with Your Member of Congress(which includes sample invitation language)

A Guide to Writing Your Members of Congress

Make it an EFAP Visit:

An important state level legislative issue for hunger relief agencies is funding for the Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP). Talking about EFAP funding and its importance to your agency's function is a powerful topic that can make a big difference! On our Advocacy Page we have resources to help you begin and prepare for a visit like this. Click here to view the page.

We love to be part of site visits! We can help organize visits and provide informational resources for the legislator. For guidance and assistance organizing an EFAP focused site visit with your state legislator(s) please contact Danielle at danielle@wafoodcoalition.org. 

Mayors' Day of Concern for the Hungry- Volunteer and Donation Opportunities!

Calling all volunteers! We need your help to get ready for the 22nd Annual Mayors' Day of Concern for the Hungry The Emergency Feeding Program is once again coordinating a countywide food drive to help food banks and food programs fight hunger in King County. This one day event brings in thousands of pounds of food that go directly to people in need in our communities. We need teams of volunteers to help us collect food during this year's Mayors' Day of Concern for the Hungry. When Saturday September 27, 2014 9 AM - 6 PM What is Mayors' Day of Concern for the Hungry? Every year, the mayors of King County declare the last Saturday of September as a special Day of Concern for the Hungry, calling on citizens throughout King County to take action to fight hunger in our communities. EFP partners with grocery stores, food banks and volunteers all across King County to collect food for our hungry neighbors during the Mayors' Day of Concern for the Hungry. This one day brings in literally tons of food that help keep food bank shelves full for months! How Can I Help? We need volunteers like you to help us collect food during Mayors' Day! Volunteer teams of 8-16 people will collect donations at local grocery stores. Each team is lead by a volunteer site-coordinator, who organizes teams into roughly 2-hour shifts. Volunteers take turns handing out flyers suggesting donations of specific "Most-Needed Foods" to shoppers entering the store during the event. Shoppers can purchase items while they shop, and then deposit them in barrels on the way out the store. EFP provides the flyers, barrels, donation pickup and any additional support volunteers may need. Last year we collected nearly 23 tons of nonperishable groceries for our program. We need YOUR help to bring in even more food this year! Call us at 206-329-0300 or visit our website to sign up today! Visit our website to learn more about Mayors' Day of Concern for the Hungry!

Meet Our Members: Puyallup Food Bank

The Washington State Fair festivities are only weeks away, but a visit to the great city of Puyallup isn't complete without learning about the fantastic community that keeps the nearby Puyallup Food Bank buzzing and vibrant.

This organization started in 1972 and has grown and evolved into a strong and sturdy fixture in the Puyallup community.

In addition to serving families who schedule service for food resources, Puyallup Food Bank also shares its inventory with nearby agencies and tribal sites. They give freely to smaller nearby food banks any product that they can't quickly use themselves. They also participate in the freezing nights program, to ensure safety for those most at risk due to adverse weather.

According to Bill Franklin, the Executive Director at Puyallup Food Bank, the best part of the organization lies in the 100+ volunteers that support the work in an environment that feels like one big family. Egos are left at the door, and they join together through a higher motivation to serve.
Bill has served at the food bank for 25 years, with 22 of those in the role as Executive Director. Keeping up with all the moving parts that it takes is one of the trickiest parts of his job, as logistics and scheduling is a massive undertaking for the well-oiled machine they run.

On September 5th, the opening day of the Washington State Fair, free admission will be offered to anyone who brings a donation of nonperishable food items. Monetary donations will also be welcomed. This is a great way to gain visibility for the hunger relief work being done in Puyallup as well as a vital source of support to keep that work going.

Learn more and donate here: http://www.puyallupfoodbank.org/donate/

Customers receive a shopping cart packed full of quality food on their visit.

Friendly volunteers at the food bank. 

Toiletries for clients as needed.

The ever-popular party room. Birthdays for children and Christmas are always celebrated.

Seattle Food Committee Van Tour 2014

Members of the Washington Food Coalition staff enjoyed the Seattle Food Committee 2014 Van Tour yesterday. We visited five Seattle agencies working to alleviate hunger in our community. Learning how each of these programs feeds hungry folks was intriguing and inspiring. Here are the sites we visited and a little of what we learned!

Ballard Food Bank:

The tour began in the waiting room of the Ballard Food Bank. We sat in the comfy chairs and enjoyed our breakfast goodies while Jen Muzia, the new executive director, greeted us and told us about the food bank’s operations. Next we entered a big room full of shelves, refrigerators, freezers and shopping carts. The Ballard Food Bank has recently adopted the shopping model for food distribution where food bank customers have a choice between products and a cart to put them in. Along with this awesome supermarket style food bank, the Ballard Food Bank provides many other important services. They offer hygiene products, baby supplies, emergency financial assistance and their address. This means that folks who do not have a home address can have their mail sent to the Ballard Food Bank and then come pick it up!

YouthCare at the Orion Center:

Next we travelled downtown to visit the local non-profit YouthCare. YouthCare not only feeds healthy food to hungry youth, but also provides job training, assists in GED certification, mental health and substance abuse counseling, legal help, and sleeps about 20 youth on the floor every night. 363 youth in Seattle utilized their services this month, and since 2007 the amount of homeless youth has doubled. YouthCare does street outreach to provide basic necessities to youth on the street and promote their services. The focus of YouthCare is to create mentoring relationships with youth to foster health, learning and self-sufficiency.  

Millionair Club Charity:

Right around lunchtime we travelled over to the Millionair Club Charity. Similar to YouthCare, the Millionair Club is designed to train folks to get jobs. Getting someone a job is their main focus, which is then followed by securing permanent housing. But to get a job one needs to “break barriers” that hard times can bring on. The Millionair Club helps people develop basic job skills- like resume building, meet health needs- like the need for glasses, and get hunger off of their minds by filling their bellies. The Millionair Club has served over 11 million meals since its creation in 1921. Virtually all of their food is donated through corporate partnerships and their hydroponic garden in the basement. 51% of their participants attended college in their lives, so the Millionair Club truly helps one restart when life has dealt a very unfortunate hand of cards.

St. Vincent de Paul:

The tour then caravanned south to St. Vincent de Paul. Their large space is a valuable asset in the emergency food world and they filled it with a high-tech food distribution setup and many other services. They have a computerized barcode database system which stores the name of the customer, their zip code and family size for quick registration and help getting food. They also have a helpline which refers people in need to resources to help with rent, utilities and food. Housed under the same roof is also their legal help center. One very valuable piece of infrastructure is their refrigerated truck, which can be plugged in to keep perishables and produce good over the weekend before distribution. The tour members were a “protip”- a food bank needs to have a good friendly driver who is in-tune and invested in the food bank. This way they can help procure the best food through valuable relationships.

White Center Food Bank and Garden:

Our last stop was the White Center Food Bank and their Giving Garden. We entered the comfortable and welcoming waiting room and learned about the history and day to day functioning of the food bank. One special program we learned about is their Healthy Food Gift Certificate (see picture). These certificates are worth $5 in produce, and are wildly successful. White Center Food Bank really focuses on healthy and quality foods for their customers. They purchase meats, eggs and dairy and even grow some of their own produce! In between the food distribution building and the baby pantry building is a series of raised beds blooming with life. To ensure that fresh vegetables and fruit can become a part of anyone’s lifestyle, the food bank offers a series of cooking classes designed using the food currently available to customers. The White Center Food Bank identified less mobile elderly individuals as a population in need of their services, and has outfitted a mobile food bank truck to deliver food. In all, the White Center Food Bank offers outstanding assistance to people of all ages.

It was truly inspiring to see all of the work being done around Seattle to keep people fed and healthy. And the breadth of other services that these agencies offered in conjunction with food assistance is remarkable. Thank you to the Seattle Food Committee for organizing this event!

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT- Washington State Board of Health: Health Services Consultant

There is one opening for a permanent full-time Health Services Consultant within the Washington State Board of Health.  This position is part of a team of dedicated and enthusiastic public health professionals that supports the Board.  The incumbent will be a Department of Health employee on loan to the Board.

Washington State Board of Health Profile:

The Washington State Board of Health (Board), established in 1889 by the State Constitution, is composed of nine part-time gubernatorial appointees and the Secretary of the Department of Health. The Board serves the citizens of Washington by working to understand and prevent disease across the entire population.  The Board’s mission is to provide statewide leadership in advancing policies that protect and improve the public’s health. This mission is achieved by: reviewing and monitoring the health status of all people in Washington; analyzing policies, providing guidance, and developing rules; promoting system partnerships; and encouraging public engagement in the public health systems.  To learn more about the State Board of Health, visit www.sboh.wa.gov/.

Washington State Department of Health Profile:

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) works with federal, state, and local partners to help protect and improve the health of people in Washington.  Our programs and services help prevent illness and injury, promote healthy places to live and work, provide education to help people make good health decisions and ensure our state is prepared for emergencies.  DOH recognizes that employees are its most valuable resource.  We trust them to be innovative, challenge existing processes, and make the best decisions.  We strive to hire, develop, and retain a competent and diverse workforce.  To learn more about DOH, visit http://www.doh.wa.gov.

Primary Duties:

The Board’s mission is to provide statewide leadership in advancing policies that protect and improve the public’s health. It does this by reviewing and monitoring the health status of all people in Washington; analyzing policies, providing guidance, and developing rules; promoting system partnerships; and encouraging public engagement in the public health system.

This position is critical to all those activities, particularly as they relate to environmental health and communicable disease control. It coordinates rule writing, tracks health status, analyzes policies, supports efforts to gather public input, and helps forge and maintain system partnerships.

Duties include:

• Lead policy analyst on strategic initiatives related to general sanitation and environmental health.

• Environmental Rules Analyst assigned to coordinate environmental health rule development.

• Liaison to governmental agencies and stakeholder groups.

• Provide policy consultation and general support to the Board and its partner, the Department of Health.

For qualifications and to apply click here.

Your Action Needed: Support the America Gives More Act!

Before U.S. Senators recess for the November elections, it is imperative that they pass the America Gives More Act, a bill to promote giving to the work of charitable nonprofits in communities across the country. Simply put, Senators should address the pressing needs of our communities before they focus solely on their personal political careers and their re-election campaigns.

Act now to urge your Senators to pass the America Gives More Act in September. 

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the America Gives More Act in July by a strong, bi-partisan vote. The legislation promotes giving back to communities in several ways. It renews and makes permanent expired charitable giving incentives that promote donations of nutritious food to food banks, conservation of land, and contributions from individual retirement accounts directly to charitable nonprofits. The measure would simplify a foundation excise tax, thereby making more funds available for good works. The bill also would permit taxpayers to claim charitable deductions from the previous year up through  April 15. Go here for more background information on the America Gives More Act.

Senators are back home in August for the annual summer recess. When they return to DC.., there are barely a dozen legislative days left in September before Congress adjourns again for the November elections. This means that Senators must return to Washington in September committed to passing the America Gives More Act as quickly as possible. And they must make known to their Senate leaders their commitment to passing the bill that is important to their communities and constituents, before leaving D.C. again to campaign for re-election.

You can help by delivering this simple message:

Don’t leave Washington in September until the Senate passes the America Gives More Act (H.R.4719); Washington communities are counting on you.

You can deliver the message by:

Calling your Senators  

Sen. Patty Murray   866.481.9186 (toll free)

Sen. Maria Cantwell  202.224.3441

or Writing your Senators (see sample letter) 

       The nonprofit community helped moved this bill through the U.S. House of Representatives; working together, we can move it through the Senate too!

WASHINGTON NONPROFITS

Washington Nonprofits, Washington's state association for nonprofit organizations, is a membership-based organization that builds a strong, collaborative network of nonprofits serving Washington communities through education, advocacy, and capacity building.  It is a member of the National Council of Nonprofits.  Join us today!

120 State Avenue #303, Olympia, WA 98501

t: 253-330-8850 | e: info@washingtonnonprofits.org

Des Moines Area Food Bank Has a Mobile Farm!

The "On the Grow" mobile Truck Farm debuted this summer as a gardening and growing education program of the Des Moines Area Food Bank.  The truck, filled with soil and plants, visits select Summer Meal site locations throughout South King County to show kids how food is grown.  Sites include: Pine Ridge Apartments, Midway Park, Midway Elementary School, Redondo Beach, and Parkside Elementary School.  

It began as just a strong and sturdy 1994 Ford F-250. It was then lined, matted, and filled with soil. Next came the plants: tomatoes, borage, nasturtium, basil, peppers, lettuce, broccoli, stevia, marjoram, onions, radishes, beets, carrots and Swiss chard. The bed of the truck has a piece of Plexiglas at the end so kids can see how plants grow. Kids participate in planting, harvesting, seed saving, plant identification, taking care of worms, drawing and many more activities.

It also encourages kids to try vegetables they might not be exposed to or have ever tried before.  One activity the kids engage in is making plant containers out of old newspapers. Check out this video to do it yourself! They are then given soil and can select plant seeds to grow their own vegetables at home. For more information: Check out their Facebook here!