EVENTS HAPPENING IN YOUR AREA.
EMERGENCY WILDFIRE RESPONSE AND HUNGER ACTION MONTH – SEPTEMBER 11
EMERGENCY WILDFIRE RESPONSE
Even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact hunger in the Inland Northwest, the devastating wildfires burning throughout the region require a heightened emergency response from hunger relief organizations. Second Harvest’s agency relations team is actively connecting with food bank partners in fire-affected areas to assess needs and respond with support. Thank you to the brave firemen and women working to keep our communities safe during this time.
HUNGER ACTION MONTH
September is Hunger Action Month, and as more people turn to food banks for help during the COVID-19 crisis, a community-wide response to hunger is critical. Continued disruptions to our donated food supply chain make financial donations more important than ever. Those dollars are used not only to cover fuel and freight for moving donated food supplies but also to purchase food to fill inventory gaps. This month, our friends at Gesa Credit Union are generously matching all donations up to $20,000, so your gift will have twice the impact. To learn more about Hunger Action Month and make a donation, click here.
We are grateful to our many community partners who are taking action against hunger this month! Here are some examples of ways you can get involved:
Spokane Association of REALTORS® is hosting a “Friendly, Fun Food Fight” online fundraiser in lieu of its annual food drive in partnership with Safeway and Albertsons stores. They’ve turned the event into a competition between their offices, and donations from the public are welcome as well. To participate, you can donate here by Sept. 18.
The National Association of Letter Carriers’ annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive was postponed in its traditional form this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, our wonderful letter carriers are hosting a virtual Stamp Out Hunger Donor Drive to help our neighbors in need during this crisis. To donate to the drive, please click here. Thank you to our local Stamp Out Hunger partner Progressions Credit Union for supporting this year’s event.
To sign up to receive our COVID-19 updates 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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