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Feeding hope: Cecelia’s story

Cecelia began to tear up as Second Harvest staff loaded bags of food into her car. It was her first time at a Mobile Market distribution, and she’s never been to a food bank.

But Cecelia’s budget looks a lot different during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her husband’s lawn care and handyman business used to support them. Now, they’re struggling to pay all the bills.

“It’ll help a lot, especially the oranges because I’m supposed to get one a day.”

A former nurse with the Red Cross, Cecelia knows what the medical providers are facing every day during this crisis. But health issues forced her to retire, and now those issues are putting her at higher risk for complications from COVID-19. The food she received at the Mobile Market helps keep her healthy while providing some financial relief for her and her husband. “It’ll help a lot, especially the oranges because I’m supposed to get one a day,” she said.

Cecelia misses a lot about life before the pandemic, but she’s grateful for the ways the community has come together to support one another. “I just appreciate everything everyone is doing for everybody,” she said, pointing to the Mobile Market. “I just pray that it’s over soon.”

Gonzaga’s Dusty Stromer and Zilch: Teaming up to end hunger – March 29

Gonzaga’s Dusty Stromer and Zilch: Teaming up to end hunger – March 29

Dusty Stromer understood from a young age that while his family had enough to eat, others in his circle were not so fortunate. Dusty had a courtside seat to food insecurity — he says that by age 10, he knew some of his friends came from households where food was not reliably available.

A freshman shooting guard on the men’s basketball team at Gonzaga University, Dusty recently got a close look at the fight against hunger by touring Second Harvest’s warehouse and helping to distribute free food through its Zilch program.

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Grocery Rescue: Changing lives daily – March 22

Grocery Rescue: Changing lives daily – March 22

Your visit to a local grocery store may seem like a routine, unimportant chore. That perfect strawberry, tomato or apple you select is made possible because different departments of your neighborhood store carefully maintain a standard for each product. But what happens when the banana is too green, or the strawberries are too ripe? That product is stranded and without rescue would find its way to the landfill. Thanks to stores partnering with Second Harvest’s Grocery Rescue program, that nutritious food is shared with partner agencies throughout the 26 counties in Eastern Washington and North Idaho served by Second Harvest.

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Feeding Eastern Washington and North Idaho

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