Spring is a time of renewal—a time for new growth, new plans, and new beginnings. Here in Western Washington, the sun reappears in the sky, and we venture outdoors. Spring announces the promise of longer, warmer days ahead.
For many of our neighbors, the promise of spring diminishes under the weight of responsibility. Rising food prices, declining snap benefits, and record high winter utility bills combine to push strained family budgets to the breaking point. Right now, our network partners are seeing demand equal to—and even exceeding—the need we saw at the height of the pandemic.
To deliver the needed assistance to our network partners, Food Lifeline take a multi-pronged approach to both meet the immediate needs of our neighbors facing hunger, while simultaneously addressing the root causes through advocacy, partnering with anti-poverty organizations, and by investing in and co-creating programs and services with community-led and community-serving organizations specifically engaged in local solutions to meet the growing need.
Throughout our 17-county service area we support more than 400 meal programs, shelters, and food banks across Western Washington. Food banks like the one in West Seattle that neighbor Rosie says help her family survive.
Rosie is a 70-year-old retired nurse on a fixed income, who lives in a multi-generational household with her daughter and three grandchildren. Their neighborhood has limited access to nutritious foods, and buying enough groceries to feed the family is often financially out of reach. Each week, Rosie makes a two-hour round trip to the West Seattle Food Bank to keep food on the table.
The welcome she receives at the food bank provides both nutritious food, and dignity. “We come here and get wonderful stuff,” she says. “I come here like I grocery shop at the store.”
Together, we can help ensure neighbors like Rosie and her family receive the nutritious and desired foods they need. We can support public policy and legislative efforts that eliminate food insecurity. This spring let’s renew our commitment to ending hunger not just for today, but for good.
