SOME OF OUR FAVORITE LOCAL STORIES.
Feeding Hope: Renee’s Story
“There are so many things,” Renee said as she explained how COVID-19 has affected her and her husband’s financial situation. Being retired, living with no insurance and cooking for her mother twice a week has put a strain on Renee’s budget. This was her second time visiting a Mobile Market distribution.
The food Renee received at the last distribution allowed her to provide food for her family during the pandemic, despite rising food prices. “Everything has gone up,” Renee explained. “It’s been helping me to get better meals.”
“This is wonderful. Your money is going to a very good cause. People have to eat.”
In addition to providing meals to her mother, Renee also shared the food she received with her neighbors. “I have a lot of neighbors who have a lot of kids,” she said. “The extra stuff I get I share with them. You don’t want to waste anything.”
Renee was grateful to everyone who gave their time and money to make events like this possible. “This is wonderful. Your money is going to a very good cause. People have to eat.”
Cook up inspiration as a nutrition ambassador – January 26
In The Kitchen, we host cooking classes every week that are free to the public — especially our neighbors facing hunger. We focus on recipes that are nutritious, affordable and use ingredients sourced from our very own warehouse. We want our neighbors to know all about the health benefits of those canned chickpeas they keep seeing on the shelf at the food pantry and how they can cook them.
To execute these cooking classes, our nutrition education team partners with a dynamite group of volunteers whom we call nutrition ambassadors.
Zilch: Feed More. Waste Nothing. – January 19
Second Harvest has always looked to rescued food as a pillar of food sourcing and implemented a variety of programs to provide food to neighbors in need. Hard as we work, some of the food we rescue can’t be saved; fortunately, local animal farmers help us close the last gap in the system by taking the unsalvageable food. But our work is never done, so we continue to innovate and seek additional opportunities to feed more and waste nothing. That’s where the idea of our new program called Zilch takes root. The idea is simple but embodies our mission: No hunger. No waste. Nothing. None. Zilch!
What my year of service at Second Harvest has taught me – January 12
Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 15 is a unique federal holiday that calls on all Americans to serve one another and celebrate the legacy of King. In this spirit, we are called to serve one another through actions that will create a more equitable society for everyone in our communities. This day is also an opportunity to reflect on and appreciate the dignity and value of all our neighbors and utilize this reflection to inspire our action steps.
As a child, my parents instilled in me the importance of volunteering to give back to our community. As I have grown up and continued my commitment to service, my understanding of service has evolved. I have begun to recognize the reciprocal nature of service. Rather than being a one-way transaction, with genuine intentionality, service becomes a relationship builder.
Feeding Eastern Washington and North Idaho
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