What actions would you take as a state legislator to protect and strengthen Washington’s food security safety net, including both public nutrition programs and the food banks and food pantries serving communities across the state?

I am a Agricultural Science major having Crop Science, Soil Science, Food Science Agricutlural Economincs, Adult Continuing Education and others. First we must protect our Agricultural lands No Farms NO FOOD that was suppose to be protected under the Growth Managent Act. All of Fife’s farmlands is gone put up for profit for rezoning by the city, part of the Puyallup Valley, through the Auburn Kent Valley have been damaged by putting warehouse on Washingtons fertile farmland where we obtain our food. Where we use to be able to glean after harvest for food banks these food sorces are gone. We must stop the taking of our Food Resource immediately the further we have to transport food the more the cost of that food. I will make it that these lands must be put in perpetual farmland for our critcal food resource to secure the return of our food source safety net. Our canneries and food processors have left due to loss of food to can and process… We need to bring back these source by bring back the farms and food becomes more available. We need to teach people how to can, dehydrate and process the food that is here million of tons of apples pears and others go to waste in this county on the ground. Expand the Community garden for those who can work in a garden. My family use to grow more then 75% of the food that we ate when I grew up I even use to do this. Teaching and expanding how to not just grow your food but how to process what you get from the food bank, save seeds, help elderly disabled and more… The Fed’s now have a 20 hour a week to get SNAP we can use these health people to work our enlarge community gardens through Cooperative Extention, Soil Conservation District to grow Food For others. Different areas need different programs and each area needs to have programs that are taylored to that commumities specific needs or to those they serve.. We need to consider peoples dietary needs for protein sorces, buying from Washington Farms, Working with Tribal sorces and much more.. I will work with all groups to make our food resource safety net is there for those who need to use the safety net and work on nutritional needs from young to old, people with medical conditions and others.

What have you done to understand food insecurity in the communities you seek to represent—including engaging with people experiencing hunger or local hunger-relief organizations—and what policies would you prioritize to address the root causes of hunger and ensure Washington residents can afford and access the food they need?

I speak with the Homeless finding how and why they are on the street and tell them where resorces are. I have participated in the Pierce Conservation Districts Seed Exchange to give and exchange free seeds to grow your own Food for people using Community gardens, growing food in pots at apartements, and growing food at their home.. Many of my Russian, Ukraine, Asians and other forgein groups use the community gardens, yards and more to grow food for their families creating food security. Teaching people how to buy in bulk like Winco foods example dried beans for protein and how to use beans instead of buying a small can. My chuch Good Shepherd Lutheran, Tacoma has had a Tuesday night meal and gleaned food/ breads and other things from local stores for 40 years for people of the community no need to be a member and we/the church provides staples. The root causes are many from homelessness, job loss, having to care for a senior parent, disablity each of these need to be addressed differently … A homeless person can not use dried beans because of the need for cooking places. Affording food is sometimes making wiser food choices like less processed foods cost less like potatoes in the fresh section. Home bound or rural areas need different access then some one who is a mile from the food sorce and can drive… This must be a divierse answers due to they type and knd of population different answers for different people.

What policies or investments would you support to strengthen Washington’s food system, increase access to locally produced food, support Washington farmers and producers, and reduce food waste?

First we must save and Preserve the Local Farms that are left stopping all land development on these critical Food Resources that was suppose to be done 36 years ago when I worked on the Growth Management Act 38 years ago. The majority 90% of the local sources for food are gone within Pierce County and have been developed into warehouses, urban high density development gone. This purposefully and intentionally caused higher food cost failing to do a Environmental Impact Statements/ EIS on the perptual loss of the food resources on the people of the area. I would mandate a Retro Active Accumulative loss of Food Resources to the people of every county the increased costs to people loss of resources. You can not access locally food resources produce when you no longer have places to grow the food or if the land was developed and warehouse and urban and commerical development is on the land that was once was one of the greatest producing food areas of the world unless you remove the buildings that were put on the soil and land then find a farmer who will farm that land…with the loss of the farm and agricultural lands we have lost the farmers who farmed those lands. We have to reinvest in all of theses Food must be a prioity and the land to grow that food… consequences to those who developed critical farm and agricultural lands. As a Agricultural Science major Food waste from some grocery stores can be donated to Food banks and reduced cost to allow a faster sale. Supporting farmers and producers stop taxing the properties and tuning them into the Commerical Industial urban, stop infilling lands with rock and displacing water off site on to farm lands…