SOME OF OUR FAVORITE LOCAL STORIES.
FEEDING HOPE: AUSTIN’S STORY
A moment later, a volunteer was filling Austin’s bag with fresh produce—pears, onions, celery, watermelon and more. It was the end of the month—when Austin and his family typically need a little more food than they can afford.
Like many, Austin uses a food pantry, the Medical Lake Food Bank, to help fill gaps in his family’s grocery budget. He and his wife have three mouths to feed besides theirs, and their incomes don’t always cut it. Austin’s wife is a pre-school teacher, and Austin, a former Apple employee, works at a production company seasonally. His family uses the food pantry more frequently in the colder months, when Austin isn’t working and stays home to take care of his kids.
The food pantry helps Austin and his wife stretch their budget—and ensures they have healthy food on hand. “We love the fresh veggies. Several times we’ve gotten meat that we’ve saved in the freezer, and we hardly ever have to buy bread.”
“We’ll take everything. We love fruits and vegetables.”
With hopes to one day be a high school teacher, Austin plans to get a Master’s degree in teaching in the near future. But for now, Austin and his family can turn to the food pantry for a little extra food and the peace of mind that there’s somewhere to go to get them through a tough time.
Food Safety First: – April 19
In January and March, AIB International conducted audits of our facilities – the Pasco Distribution Center, the Spokane Distribution Center and the Wolff Family Child Hunger Solution Center. As has been the case for more than a decade, we received scores of 930 or higher, out of a possible 1000. Anything above 900 is considered exemplary.
While receiving high scores from AIB is important, we are equally proud of the fact that any day of the year, our team is always working to keep our buildings clean and our food supply safe. This speaks to the strong food safety culture we have here at Second Harvest.
A celebration of our volunteers – April 12
Volunteering doesn’t have to be a one-time thing and the individuals who volunteer at Second Harvest in Spokane and Pasco have proven that in many ways. Even though April is nationally recognized as Volunteer Month, our gratitude for your service is year-round. In the last couple of years, the Volunteer Center in Spokane has gone through various changes and adjustments to keep up with the increase in food demand, prompted first by COVID in 2020 and then by inflation. Even with the changes, our volunteer support has stayed and become even stronger. Our community is filled with mission-driven individuals to help us feed, nourish and build the community around us.
In The Kitchen: Food Waste Prevention Week – April 5
Earth Month is the perfect opportunity to reflect on our habits and how they impact the planet. We might think about how often we drive and take advantage of the nicer weather to bike to work, or maybe even grab some friends and family and find a river cleanup event for Earth Day. But did you know that you can make an impact without even leaving your house? In fact, reflecting on our cooking and grocery shopping habits has the potential to have a greater and long-lasting impact on our environment.
Feeding Eastern Washington and North Idaho
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