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?

As a two-terms school board director, I strongly believe in the value of universal school meals. We should ensure no child goes hungry during the school day regardless of family income. We also need to protect and expand SNAP benefits.  The Federal cuts to the program are actively harming Washington families. The work requirements and changes targeting immigrant and refugee families are targeting those already at greatest risk and making their problem worse. While we work with Federal partners to try to reverse some of these harms, we’ll need to work to support and strengthen our local emergency food delivery systems to allow them to handle the increasing demands for their services.

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?

Our schools are a reflection of our communities. I’ve seen the value of universal meals. I’ve also seen the importance of community partnerships which have allowed my District to participate in weekend food backpack programs for some of our most at risk students. I’ve been a supporter of the Puyallup Food Bank and one of my sons was a regular volunteer for them.   Affordability issues come up often when I’m canvasing and talking to voters. We need affordable housing, affordable and accessible high quality childcare, affordable and accessible health care, and options to help families with ever increasing utility costs. Some of these issues can be helped by addressing supply — creating affordable housing options (and transit oriented options), developing more health care providers to increase access — while others come down to money. We can expand childcare subsidies so families who rely on childcare can afford it, and we can work to create more living wage jobs with benefits so families don’t have to choose between keeping a place to live or affording groceries. We also need to be mindful of food deserts, and particularly those that have been created recently by the closure of grocery stores that represented the only accessible option for some.

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?

I’d like to see more school districts be able to take advantage of farm-to-school initiatives that would benefit both our farmers and our students. Similarly, connecting local farmers with our emergency food providers could work the same way, with the additional benefit of being able to reduce food waste. Federal policies are continuing to increase costs for our farmers and harm their ability to reach previously reliable markets, so the more resiliency we can build inside our state borders, the better.