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 legislator, I’d fully fund SNAP outreach and work to cut the enrollment barriers and processing delays that keep eligible families from getting help, and push for state supplemental support for families who fall through federal gaps. I’d protect universal school meals so no district has to scale back, and fully fund WIC outreach to connect eligible families who aren’t currently enrolled.  Senior nutrition needs the same attention. In rural communities like the 39th, that means coordinating with volunteer agencies and existing senior services to bring food directly to elders, whether through delivery routes or mobile pantries, rather than relying on centralized sites people can’t easily reach. This kind of cross-agency collaboration is exactly the model that brings communities together while saving costs.  For food banks and pantries, I’d direct state emergency food funding toward both capacity, like cold storage and transport, and the rising food purchasing and staffing costs they’re absorbing right now. I’d also expand programs that connect local farms’ surplus to neighbors in need.  None of this works in isolation. I’d build a standing coalition with food bank directors, local farms, Tribal food sovereignty programs, and Naval Station Everett family services, so every community partner is at the table and no gap goes unaddressed.

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?

This isn’t abstract policy for me. I’ve experienced food insecurity myself, and that’s shaped how I show up for this issue, both personally and professionally. I volunteered with Hungry Hearts Foundation, which provides meals for children and families to bring home. My family donates regularly to the food bank, hosts community families for holiday meals, and we’ve paid off school lunch balances through random acts of kindness. I’ve served on boards and written grants that secured real funding for agencies to keep food, supplies, and services flowing to the people who need them.  Professionally, I advocate for the clean water and healthy soil that good crops and healthy food depend on. Food access and land stewardship aren’t separate issues to me, they’re the same issue. That’s part of why I’m proud to be endorsed by Washington Conservation Action, the Environment and Climate Council, and the Sierra Club: because protecting our watersheds and farmland is protecting our food supply.  I understand hunger as what’s left over after a family pays for housing, childcare, healthcare, utilities, and transportation. In a rural district like the 39th, that last one matters more than people realize: distance to a grocery store or food bank is its own barrier. And that squeeze doesn’t land the same way for everyone. Communities of color, rural communities, seniors, people with disabilities, and immigrant and refugee families face added obstacles to getting nutritious food, whether that’s language access, transportation, or simply not knowing what they qualify for. In my work at DCYF and the courts, I was often able to identify who wasn’t at the table and make sure the people who were impacted by the decisions, had a voice in shaping them. I bring that same lens here.  • Economic stability policies that ease the housing, childcare, healthcare, utility, and transportation costs that force families to cut their grocery budget first. • Closing SNAP and WIC enrollment gaps, with outreach designed for the communities most likely to be missed, including immigrant, refugee, and rural households. • Agricultural and watershed stewardship funding to protect the farmland and water systems our regional food supply depends on. • Support for local food systems, including farm-to-pantry infrastructure that gets surplus food to neighbors instead of going to waste. • Expanding the senior property tax exemption, so fixed-income seniors aren’t forced to cut their grocery budget to cover housing costs.  I’ve lived this. I’ve worked this from the community level up, and I’ll bring both to Olympia.

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?

To increase access to locally produced food, I’d expand the farm-to-pantry pipelines already connecting local surplus to food banks and neighbors, and grow farmers market incentive and SNAP-matching programs so families using public nutrition benefits can access fresh, local food, not just what’s cheapest at a big-box store.  To reduce food waste, I’d support state investment in gleaning programs that connect volunteers with farms to harvest crops that would otherwise go unused, tax incentives for farms and retailers that donate unsold or surplus food, and clearer liability protections so producers and grocers aren’t discouraged from donating out of legal caution.  None of this works without the coalition I’ve talked about throughout this questionnaire: food banks, local farms, Tribal food sovereignty programs, and community partners working from the same picture. Strengthening the food system means expanding what’s already working, not reinventing it.