EVENTS HAPPENING IN YOUR AREA.
FOOD DELIVERY SERVICE, NATIONAL GUARD AND MORE – DECEMBER 18
SPOKANE COUNTY FOOD DELIVERY SERVICE
Second Harvest is proud to be part of the Spokane County Food Security Coalition, which recently launched a pilot emergency food box delivery program to better serve people facing hunger in Spokane County during the COVID-19 crisis. The pilot program runs through Dec. 29 and is funded by CARES Act dollars allocated by Spokane County. To learn more about the program, watch this video, “Our Daily Bread: Fighting Food Insecurity with Compassion and Equity,” by Rising River Media.
NATIONAL GUARD
The National Guard will demobilize from our Pasco Hunger Solution Center on Thursday, Dec. 17, as planned. However, National Guard members will continue assisting at the Spokane Hunger Solution Center through March 2021. The Spokane deployment will be considered for further extension beyond March, based on need, as well as other pandemic-related demands being placed on the service members. The demobilization of the National Guard in Pasco will open volunteer opportunities at our Pasco Hunger Solution Center in January. Watch for volunteer registration updates on our blog and social media. Second Harvest is so fortunate to have—and continue to have—the incredible assistance, insights and inspiration the National Guard members have provided during this challenging time.
SECOND HARVEST HOLIDAY CLOSURES
Second Harvest will be closed Wednesday, Dec. 23, through Friday Dec. 25, for Christmas and Thursday, Dec. 31, through Friday, Jan. 1, to give volunteers and staff much-deserved rest over the holidays. If you’d like to drop off a year-end food or fund donation, please be sure to note these closures. You’re welcome to stop by during business hours on Dec. 21 and Dec. 22 or Dec. 28 through Dec. 30.
We’re sometimes asked why we take extra days off during the holidays, and there are a few reasons. The first is that most of the food banks we supply distribute holiday food boxes the week before Christmas. This allows local volunteers to make sure that families have what they need before the holidays, and it also means that the volunteers get to take a well-deserved break for the holidays. At Second Harvest, our job is to make sure that local food banks are stocked up and ready for those distributions. This means that Second Harvest’s volunteers and staff also get to rest up and recover over the holidays. Due to the pandemic, we are shipping more food than ever to help people in need. We know there will be much more work to do in the New Year.
Thank you all for your dedication and generosity that has helped so many of our neighbors in Eastern Washington and North Idaho persevere during this pandemic. We can’t find the words to express our gratitude. And here’s wishing you all a safe and healthy 2021.
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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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