Every week, Theresa picks up food from one of our partner distributions to bring back to her neighbors in Granite Falls.
“I have two neighbors who are out of work, so I stop by to make sure the kids get food,” she says. “Our whole neighborhood has been working together, and that makes a world of difference.”
Theresa’s neighborhood isn’t alone in their need. In a typical year, about 850,000 Washingtonians face food insecurity. But since the pandemic began, the number of those experiencing food insecurity in Washington has more than DOUBLED and is expected to hit 2.2 million.
To meet this need, Food Lifeline has ramped up operations to provide a record number of meals to our community. We are actively working with our 300 agency partners to identify safe ways to distribute food directly to them so they can continue their work of supporting those facing hunger.
In addition to the increased support of our partner network, Food Lifeline is also serving as a lead agency in a statewide hunger relief effort. In coordination with Governor Jay Inslee’s office, Second Harvest, and Northwest Harvest, we are building emergency food boxes full of nutritious, shelf-stable food and distributing these boxes to every county in the state each week to reach those most in need. Each week, we distribute 73,000 of these emergency food boxes!
Throughout these past several months, we’ve relied on creative new strategies and thinking, incredible staff and volunteers, neighbors helping neighbors, and a whole community of support. Thank you!
