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?

Food banks and food pantries are essential community partners, but they cannot replace SNAP, school meals, summer nutrition, and other public programs that help families consistently put food on the table. As a legislator, I would work to protect access to SNAP and state-funded food assistance, reduce unnecessary barriers to enrollment, and preserve state support when federal changes create gaps. I would also support strong, predictable funding for Washington’s emergency food system, including food banks, food pantries, and Tribal hunger-relief programs. That means supporting not only food purchases, but also the staffing, transportation, refrigeration, storage, and other infrastructure needed to get healthy food to people where they live. With nearly one million Washingtonians receiving SNAP, protecting the public nutrition safety net while strengthening our community-based hunger-relief system must go hand in hand.

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?

For more than 23 years, I have worked directly with children and families as a Tribal child welfare social worker, educator, and developmental specialist. I have seen how housing costs, childcare, healthcare, and transportation compete with a family’s grocery budget. Hunger is often the result of families simply not having enough income left after paying for other basic necessities. I was also an early board member of the Kitsap Community Food Co-op, where I helped support efforts to build a community-owned food system and improve access to locally produced food. My professional and community experiences have reinforced that food security is both an immediate need and a larger affordability issue. As a legislator, I would prioritize policies that address the whole household budget: increasing affordable housing, expanding access to affordable childcare, strengthening healthcare access, and supporting family-wage jobs. I would also work to reduce barriers to food assistance and improve access to nutritious food in rural and underserved communities, including Tribal communities. I believe the people experiencing food insecurity, along with the food banks, Tribal Nations, and community organizations serving them, must have a meaningful voice in shaping these policies. We need to address immediate hunger while also building an economy in which families can afford to put food on the table.

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 would support investments that make it easier for Washington-grown food to reach Washington families while ensuring farmers and producers are fairly compensated for what they grow. That includes strengthening Farm to School and Farm to Food Pantry programs, expanding opportunities for schools, childcare programs, food banks, and other public institutions to purchase locally, and investing in the processing, refrigeration, storage, transportation, and distribution infrastructure that small and regional producers need to reach those markets. I would also support food-rescue efforts that connect edible surplus food with hunger-relief organizations rather than allowing it to go to waste. These programs can address several needs at once: reducing food waste, supporting Washington farmers and producers, strengthening regional food systems, and increasing access to fresh, nutritious food. Washington produces an extraordinary amount of food. Our policies should make it easier for the people who live here to eat the food grown here—and ensure that the farmers and workers who make that possible can sustain their livelihoods.