KOMO News and Food Lifeline teamed up February 9th to raise over $46,778 to help our neighbors facing food insecurity in Western Washington. It was an action-packed day, with KOMO News Crews reporting live at both the Hunger Solution Center, where volunteers sorted and packed food for distribution, and at the telethon on KOMO’s Seattle based studios, where volunteers staffed phone banks to take donations form the public.
Special thanks to the sponsors of our special event with KOMO Tackle Hunger, BECU and Seattle Hyundai and Seattle Jeep. BECU matched caller donations with a $25,000 donation and had volunteer teams sorting food at Food Lifeline’s Hunger Solution Center, and answering phones at KOMO’s studios. Seattle Hyundai and Seattle Jeep sponsored a food drive at their dealerships, collecting over 800 pounds of food that was then delivered to the Hunger Solution Center.
The food and funds come at a critical time, as the rate of food insecurity in our region had surged dramatically over the past year with the end of pandemic supports and the rising cost of living. Over 1.6 million neighbors in Western Washington sought food assistance last year. KOMO’s coverage of food insecurity in Western Washington has helped to bring public attention to the critical state of hunger in the Puget Sound.
Watch KOMO’s story on the Tackle Hunger Telethon:
Watch an interview with Casey Crane, Director of Food Resources and Volunteer Production:
Listen to BECU Volunteers talk about why they volunteer at Food Lifeline in this feature from Seattle Refined:
