EVENTS HAPPENING IN YOUR AREA.
NEW PARTNERSHIPS, VOLUNTEERS, FEEDING SENIORS, MOBILE MARKET – MARCH 31
A SURGE IN NEED
Second Harvest’s partner food pantries are reporting a 30-50% increase in visits for food assistance over the last two weeks. As more people lose income due to business closures, more people are seeking food assistance from their local food pantries. That means Second Harvest must source more food to meet the increasing demand during a time when the supply chain is experiencing several disruptions due to COVID-19.
Read more about the growing need in the Tri-Cities here.
PARTNERSHIP WITH SPOKANE FOOD FIGHTERS
Second Harvest kicked off its partnership with Spokane Food Fighters this week. Second Harvest will supply up to 125 emergency food boxes each day to Spokane Food Fighters, whose volunteers will deliver them to people who can’t leave their homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Food boxes will include about 15 pounds of assorted fresh and non-perishable items, providing food for approximately 12 meals. This program serves people within the city of Spokane. Read more about the partnership here.
“STAY HOME, STAY HEALTHY”
On March 30, the Washington State Department of Agriculture released a letter affirming that hunger-relief volunteers and staff are performing essential services that are permitted to continue during the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” proclamation period. Second Harvest remains open and continues to seek volunteers to help get critical food supplies to people who need them during the COVID-19 crisis. Sign up for a shift here.
FEEDING SENIORS
Seniors are at higher-risk for COVID-19 complications and therefore are especially avoiding trips to the food bank or grocery store right now. Second Harvest is bringing food right to seniors to help maintain their health and safety. On March 30, our Mobile Market bus rolled up to the Vintage at Spokane senior apartments to bring 120 residents a mix of fresh and nonperishable foods. The residents were grateful not only for the food but also for not having to leave their homes to restock their pantries. Later today, the bus will deliver food to residents of Appleway Court, a senior apartment complex in Spokane Valley.
MOBILE MARKET
To protect the health and safety of the people we serve and our volunteers, we are facilitating all large Mobile Market events in a drive-thru style. This distribution method has been going very smoothly and allows all event participants to comply with social distancing recommendations. Below are some photos of yesterday’s Mobile Market event in Kennewick.
To sign up to receive our updates to COVID-19 via email, please click here.
From The Kitchen: Cooking with dried beans, lentils and peas – March 8
Have you ever received dried goods, such as beans, lentils or split peas, and felt stumped on how to use them? Cooking with dried goods can seem daunting, especially if you’re used to using canned varieties. However, dried beans, lentils and split peas are affordable and often found in food pantries, so cooking with them is a great skill to gain confidence in. Continue reading for some tips and tricks on how to prepare dried ingredients and gain some cooking inspiration from Second Harvest recipes that utilize them.
National Agriculture Month: Celebrating Ag Partners and Friends – March 1
We take immense pleasure throughout the year in celebrating our agriculture partners and friends. But during National Agriculture Month, we take extra measures to recognize their continued support, contributions and commitment to Second Harvest’s mission of serving people facing hunger.
Our ag partners range from small, local farms to large industry farms, livestock operations, and the processing and manufacturing plants that support them.
Why I support Second Harvest: A donor’s story – February 23
Nothing is more important than having food on the table. To state the obvious, food—like shelter—is something without which we cannot survive. Second Harvest thus quite literally provides a lifeline for those whom my wife and I cannot feed directly. And it has done so for the nearly 40 years that we have supported Second Harvest. During this period we have seen not even a hint that their mission is diminishing in importance. On the contrary, the organization seems to be throwing out more and more lifelines to those in our midst who are in danger of sinking.
Feeding Eastern Washington and North Idaho
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