EVENTS HAPPENING IN YOUR AREA.
BEHIND THE SCENES, MOBILE MARKET, EMERGENCY FOOD BOXES AND MORE – APRIL 10
BEHIND THE SCENES AT SECOND HARVEST
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a lot of changes to our daily lives—including how we operate at Second Harvest. We talked to a few people on our Operations team to hear firsthand what it’s like to be working on the front lines of food insecurity right now and what they want the community to know about hunger during this crisis. Watch this video to hear from them.
MOBILE MARKET
On April 9, Second Harvest held a Mobile Market distribution at the Spokane Valley Mall. The distribution served more than 730 families—Second Harvest’s largest Mobile Market in its history. Families received a mix of produce and dry goods to help them through the financial crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
TRANSITION TO PREPACKED EMERGENCY FOOD BOXES
Second Harvest is transitioning to distributing primarily prepacked emergency food boxes to respond to the growing need for food fueled by the disruption to our communities caused by COVID-19. Boxes containing fresh and nonperishable food items are distributed to our partner network, as well as at Mobile Market events and directly to people’s homes through Spokane Food Fighters. The emergency food box distribution model allows the people we serve, volunteers and staff to follow social distancing protocol and helps us keep pace with the growing need for food assistance in our community.
SPOKANE FOOD FIGHTERS
Second Harvest continues to partner with Spokane Food Fighters to serve people who are homebound during the COVID-19 pandemic. After two weeks, emergency food boxes were delivered to more than 600 families in Spokane. Learn more about Spokane Food Fighters here, and check out some photos of volunteers getting ready to deliver the boxes below.
WA FOOD FUND
Earlier this week, Governor Inslee announced the creation of the WA Food Fund to support hunger-relief organizations statewide, including Second Harvest. The fund was created to address the growing need for food assistance amidst the COVID-19 pandemic by sourcing large quantities of shelf-stable food for a coordinated statewide emergency food box program. Read more about the WA Food Fund and the growing need for food assistance here.
THE NATIONAL GUARD AT SECOND HARVEST
The National Guard has been an incredibly valuable asset at Second Harvest this week to assist with COVID-19 emergency response efforts. Members of the National Guard have assisted with food packing and distribution activities. Read more about their service at Second Harvest here.
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How to Host a Fundraiser – September 22
Looking for a fun way to celebrate your birthday, company event or holiday? Hosting a fundraiser for Second Harvest is easy and makes an impact. You can raise funds online or host a food drive in person. We’ll give you the tools to get set up, share your event and start collecting. Every dollar donated makes a difference for neighbors experiencing food insecurity.
Serving Those Who Serve Our Country – September 15
Steve and his wife both retired from the Army, and he also spent time as a civil engineer in the Navy. His career has been a life of service to our country. Today, he is a member of the civilian workforce at Fairchild Air Force Base.
With economics the way they are today, Steve accesses Second Harvest Mobile Market free food distributions on base.
Naturally cheery, Steve manages a smile even when he explains “Times are hard.” Simultaneously, he proudly adds, “We have two kids, 13 and 14. They eat like crazy and are growing like mad.”
Back to School with Bite2Go – September 8
Bite2Go is a weekend food program for students facing chronic food shortages at home. Bite2Go gives children access to a mix of nutritious, nonperishable and ready-to-eat meals and snacks for the weekend, helping kids return to school ready to learn on Mondays. At the heart of the program is the adoptive organization. Bite2Go relies on businesses, churches and civic groups to “adopt” a school, and through that engagement and funding model, provide students with food for the weekends through the school year.
Feeding Eastern Washington and North Idaho
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