Author: Jean Tucker

Have you planned your Thanksgiving menu? Will you celebrate with family and friends over a bountiful meal of special dishes?  

 Your turkey dinner will cost a lot more this year due to inflation and supply issues. That cost is prohibitive for many families who already face impossible choices about how to spend their limited funds. Do they pay the heating bill or buy food? Put gas in the car or pay for medication?  

When choosing between heating and eating, it’s typical for people to first cut their food budget. Putting any food on the table becomes a daily struggle and a constant source of anxiety. A special meal is completely out of reach for many.  

That’s why Second Harvest’s Pasco Hunger Solution Center began hosting a free annual Thanksgiving meal box distribution in 2016. This year’s event will provide 2,500 complete Thanksgiving meal boxes of a turkey and all the sides, with distributions in the Tri-Cities, Sunnyside and Yakima. 

Second Harvest is honored to welcome Lamb Weston as our Presenting Sponsor of the event for the fourth consecutive year. Their sponsorship funds 500 of the Thanksgiving meal boxes for families that would otherwise go without a holiday meal. Additional generous sponsors and food donors, along with hundreds of volunteers, will make it possible for our neighbors to enjoy a special meal together. 

Lamb Weston has been a valued “all-in” partner of Second Harvest for many years, supporting us in all the ways we need to be successful by providing “food, funds and friends.”  

Food: We are grateful to receive generous donations of both fresh and frozen potatoes from Lamb Weston, along with other products. An important staple and American favorite, the potato is also a nutritional powerhouse that’s packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber. Potatoes are always appreciated by those attending a Second Harvest Mobile Market free food distribution or visiting one of our partner pantries.  

Funds: Lamb Weston has provided generous financial support through a variety of charitable grants and a robust employee giving program—helping to fund the construction of our Pasco distribution center in 2012, expand food access through our Healthy Eating Initiative and provide critical COVID-19 relief.

Friends: Volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization, without whom we cannot do our vital work. Friends of Second Harvest include the thousands of volunteers who donate the gifts of time to help sort and repack bulk products, pick up and deliver food, and help with community food drives. Lamb Weston employees have donated thousands of hours to our Pasco distribution center, often sorting and boxing potatoes they donated to share with our neighbors facing hunger.  

Lamb Weston’s volunteer efforts at Second Harvest are legendary! In October 2018, employees set a Pasco warehouse volunteer record as 169 energetic and enthusiastic team members had fun sorting and repacking food, making an incredible impact on hunger in our community.  

With such a rich and rewarding history between our two organizations, it’s no wonder we’re looking forward to our continued partnership with the great people of Lamb Weston to put meals on the table. Their slogan is “Seeing Possibilities in Potatoes.” We love that they also see “possibilities in partnership” with us! Thank you, Lamb Weston.  

To sponsor a Thanksgiving meal box for families in the Mid-Columbia and Yakima Valley, please donate here.