This month, we focus on food pantries, a rapid growing food source for individuals and families to supplement the food that they receive from food banks. Demand for food is at an all time high and food pantries are a low barrier way for residents to get access to nutritious food for meals. Here are two food pantry profiles from WAWAC and the Nourishing Network.
This month, we focus on food pantries, a rapid growing food source for individuals and families to supplement the food that they receive from food banks. Demand for food is at an all time high and food pantries are a low barrier way for residents to get access to nutritious food for meals. Here are two food pantry profiles from WAWAC and the Nourishing Network.
WAWAC’s Food Support Program
In late 2022, the WAWAC Board set 3 priority areas for the year 2023, (Housing Justice, Food Justice and Mental Health) based on the demand and from the community. Our community continues to deal with and recover from the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic and as a result, a good number of people need access to culturally relevant food which is barely available and both the quality and quantity continue to drop. WAWAC had a partnership with a couple of Food banks and other organizations both of whom supplied us with 80 to 150 boxes of food to distribute to our community members every week (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neUsZ8sYe78 ).
However, even though we continue to provide them with the list of the culturally relevant food that our community consumes, they still don’t know or cannot access majority of the food that the community needs or even if they do, they have limited quantities. Additionally, they continue to lose their funding from CARES money and have cut down our numbers from 200 boxes a week to 80 boxes a week and eventually to zero.
In 2021, WAWAC secured funding from Verdant Health Commission and through our Drop-In Center, we provide culturally appropriate food and Housing assistance to our community. We partnered with local West African Grocery stores who provided groceries to the community members and billed us. We also issued gift cards to those who preferred buying food from the conventional grocery stores such as Walmart,Winco and Costco thus giving them an opportunity to have a healthy and balanced diet. Through the partnership with Verdant and other partners, WAWAC is able to provide between 100-150 boxes of culturally relevant groceries to the members of the West African Community for free of charge. We also provide special groceries and hot meals to community members especially during important community events such as our annual Iftar https://studio.youtube.com/video/TzPgVgoI-Zs/edit and Sukuri Ndogu https://youtu.be/OvxgXsOQdME.
The Foundation for Edmonds School District
The Foundation for Edmonds School District’s 2023 summer meal program has had a great start. This year, the summer meals program is serving children at sites across Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace, including Spruce Elementary, Lynndale Elementary, Community Life Center, and Bicentennial Park. Each site is running a day camp program with free meals, fun activities, and exercise to keep the kids healthy and active all summer long. The YWCA Somerset Apartments, a fifth site, offers grab-and-go meals for children. Every site is dedicated to feeding all children ages 1 – 18, helping fill the nutrition gap experienced during the summer months.
The program hosts guest presenter each week including South Snohomish County Fire Department, Lynnwood Kids Dentist, PUD, and many more. Children enjoy hands-on learning experiences, games, and playtime. Experience Momentum, a local integrated wellness center, is providing fun and active exercise to keep the kids moving.
The program, currently in its second week, has already served 812 meals and is expected to grow over the coming weeks. The Foundation for Edmonds School District’s Summer Meals program has been running for seven years, serving thousands of students along the way.
There will be a presentation on food pantries serving South Snohomish County residents at the July 26th board of commissioners meeting that is open to the public.