You know the saying “it takes a village to raise a child”. Well, here at Food Lifeline, we know it takes an amazing community to get so much food to so many people. Since 1998, we recognize some of those community members through our Ending Hunger Awards. These annual awards are given to individuals and companies who go above and beyond to stop hunger. Through their actions, these Ending Hunger Award recipients demonstrate their belief that in this world of plenty, there is no excuse for there to be hungry people in Western Washington.
Congratulations and a huge thank you to the 2014 Ending Hunger Award Recipients:
Regence Blueshield / Cambia Health Foundation
Outstanding Corporate/Foundation Donor Award
Regence and Cambia Health Foundation are strong partners in Food Lifeline’s mission to stop hunger. Both organizations also share our goals of stopping childhood hunger and combating childhood obesity, two trends that often go hand in hand. This year Cambia Health Foundation launched the Nourishing Healthy Kids Produce Initiative, a two-year effort to improve children’s health by offering families more fresh fruits and vegetables will distribute 1.3 million pounds of fresh produce through Food Lifeline.
Festivals, Inc.
Tom Haley Memorial Award
A partnership over 14 years in the making, Festivals Inc. demonstrates their drive to stop hunger through their signature event, the Alley at the Groupon Bite of Seattle. Created by former Food Lifeline board member Alan Silverman, this creative event brings together top Seattle restaurants around the cause of stopping hunger. Now run by his daughter, Jody May, this family business raised over hundreds of thousands of dollars for Food Lifeline. Additionally, Festivals, Inc regularly volunteers, attends events and works tireless to promote hunger awareness.
Bon Appétit Management Company
Outstanding Food Donor
As a national on-site food service management company, they work locally and nationally to bring hunger awareness. Known throughout the food industry for their keen interest in sustainable food, Bon Appétit has donated the equivalent of over 105,000 meals since their first food donation in 2009. Bon Appétit Management Company supports Food Lifeline’s network of meal programs with high quality locally sourced fresh food through 17 of their Seattle-based cafes and commissaries.
Shaena Murray
Outstanding Volunteer Award
Food Lifeline relies on over 9,000 volunteers every year. While many are visible opportunities sorting food in our warehouse, there is also a select team of behind-the-scenes volunteers lend their professional skills to support Food Lifeline. Shaena Murray exemplifies the role of dedicated volunteer. As the master of our volunteer timecard data entry for over four years, Shaena has facilitated multiple database transitions while continuing to make our data entry process more efficient. Shaena is an indispensable member of our team and it is with everlasting gratitude that we present her with our Outstanding Volunteer Award.
Chef John Howie
Chef of the Year Award
Chef John Howie champions Food Lifeline through his cooking, his restaurants and his love of football. As the two time winner of the Kick Hunger Challenge, Chef Howie partnered with the Seattle Seahawks to fundraise over $150,000 for Food Lifeline. He has no plans of stopping with lots of activities planned for the 2014-2015 football season. Thanks to Chef Howie for bringing his talents, voice and time to the cause of stopping hunger in Western Washington.
