EVENTS HAPPENING IN YOUR AREA.
MOBILE MARKET, WA FOOD FUND, FOOD DRIVES, NEW SCHEDULE AND MORE – APRIL 7
MOBILE MARKET
There will be a Mobile Market distribution at the Spokane Valley Mall on Thursday, April 9 at 10:00. The distribution will take place in the parking lot near Regal Theater. Please enter from the southwest side of the parking lot. Visit Second Harvest’s Mobile Market calendar for more information.
FOOD ACCESS POINT MAP
Eastern Washington University created a food access point map for Spokane County in coordination with the local Food Continuity Group formed in response to the crisis. The map shows locations offering food assistance and indicates what type of delivery methods each site offers.
WA FOOD FUND
Second Harvest, Food Lifeline and Northwest Harvest are coordinating with the Governor’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Team to launch a statewide effort called WA Food Fund. The purpose of WA Food Fund is to raise significant private and state funds to address the exponentially growing need resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. A desired outcome of this program is to source large quantities of shelf-stable food for future WA Food Fund emergency food boxes for sustainable crisis response statewide. Read more about the WA Food Fund here and here.
VIRTUAL FOOD DRIVES
Now more than ever, hungry families in communities in Eastern Washington and North Idaho depend on Second Harvest for food assistance. You can make a difference by holding a virtual food drive today. It’s quick and easy to set up. You can set a goal, share with your coworkers, family and friends, and track your donations as you go. Most importantly, your donation helps get healthy food to those who need it most. Set up your COVID-19 Response Fund Virtual Food Drive here.
NATIONAL GUARD AT SECOND HARVEST
The National Guard has been deployed to hunger-relief organizations in Washington to assist with COVID-19 emergency response operations. Members of the National Guard began serving at Second Harvest’s hunger solution centers in Spokane and Pasco on April 6. They are assisting with food packing and distribution activities. Watch a video of them in action here.
SECOND HARVEST’S NEW SCHEDULE
Beginning the week of April 6, all Second Harvest facilities have transitioned to a seven days per week emergency box building schedule. We will operate this effort in accordance with the most recent CDC COVID-19 health guidelines to reduce the risk of community virus transmission. You can sign up to volunteer here.
To sign up to receive our updates to COVID-19 via email, please click here.
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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