SOME OF OUR FAVORITE LOCAL STORIES

Food sourcing: Where we are now – August 11

Finding food is, and always has been, our top priority. Rescuing food is what fuels our ability to help people facing hunger day in and day out.

Growing food partnerships – August 4

You probably already know that Second Harvest distributes food to people facing hunger in Eastern Washington and North Idaho, but do you know how much food? What types of food or where do we get it? In fiscal year 2023, Second Harvest sourced over 32 million pounds of food, equating to close to 1,000 full semitrailers!

Food Bank Challenges – July 28

It’s anything but comforting to know that food banks across the country are facing challenges that are strikingly similar to those Second Harvest is working to overcome. For many food banks, the need is greater yet the ability to meet that need is becoming increasingly difficult. “Local food banks, pantries, and community meal programs have become an essential component of many households’ food budgets, especially as we continue to face increased food prices and the end of pandemic-era benefits,” notes Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot.

Map the Meal Gap: A Closer Look at Hunger – July 21

Feeding America released its 2023 Map the Meal Gap study, examining food insecurity in the United States. According to the Department of Agriculture, people who are food insecure have “inadequate resources to acquire enough food for a healthy, active life.” This means they may not have enough food to put on their dinner table or make a variety of nutritious meals. The annual Map the Meal Gap report looks at how food insecurity rates are influenced by a variety of factors.

Bite2Go Report Cards – July 14

Bite2Go is a program that empowers businesses, churches, and civic groups to adopt schools throughout the Inland Northwest and through that adoptive model, provide nourishment to food-insecure school kids over the weekend.

To honor the hard work of these adoptive organizations, the Bite2Go team compiles a summary of the past school year; because of our close ties to our area schools, we call these our Report Cards.

Fresh from The Kitchen: Summer Veggie Recipes – July 7

Summer is in full swing and it’s a great time to take advantage of all the fresh Washington produce that’s in season right now.

Read on to learn nutrition facts and cooking tips for several summertime veggies.

Agency Relations: Building Community and Capacity – June 30

At Second Harvest, our Agency Relations team plays a vital role in providing support to our partner agency network, ensuring they have the resources and assistance needed to make a meaningful impact on people facing hunger in their communities. Working as the bridge between Second Harvest and our partner agencies across our 26-county service area, our dedicated team of four staff members focuses on resolving issues, fostering collaboration, and working through agency capacity initiatives, such as improving client distributions.

Partner Food Pantries Plug into Electric Vehicles – June 23

Our motto is “Serving people facing hunger.”

Doing that takes many people doing a variety of work — farmers and ranchers who start the cycle, harvesters, packers, processors, on through the volunteers working on the front lines at local pantries or staffing our Mobile Market free food distributions.

Transporting food from point A to point B isn’t usually the first aspect that comes to mind, yet it’s an integral piece of getting food to people who need it most. It’s also one of the most logistically complex and challenging details in getting the job done.