EVENTS HAPPENING IN YOUR AREA.
CARES ACT FUNDING, ALL IN WA BENEFIT CONCERT AND MORE – JUNE 19
SPOKANE COUNTY CARES ACT FUNDING
We are grateful to announce that on June 15, the Spokane County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted in favor of providing up to $2,139,500 from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to Second Harvest. This funding is restricted to responding to the increased need for food assistance in Spokane County. It will exclusively cover food purchases along with staff and trucking resources to get food to where it’s needed most. Read more about how this funding will be used here, or watch this video.
ALL IN WA BENEFIT CONCERT
All in WA, a collection of nonprofits, government and business leaders, and philanthropic groups, will host a concert benefitting organizations in Washington working to address the COVID-19 crisis, including Second Harvest. The concert will air on Wednesday, June 24, at 7 p.m. on Amazon Music’s Twitch channel, through allinwa.org and on KREM and KSKN in Spokane. Performers include Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam, Macklemore, Brandi Carlile, Allen Stone and more. For more details about the concert, click here (note that the concert was originally scheduled for June 10). You can donate to the All in WA fund here.
(Allen Stone of Chewelah,
photo by Robert E. Klein of Invision/AP)
STREET MUSIC WEEK
Thank you to the talented performers and generous donors who helped make the 18th annual Street Music Week a success. The virtual event last week raised more than $27,000 to help get food to our neighbors in need during this crisis. A special thank you to Doug Clark and his team of volunteers who made sure this beloved tradition still happened safely amidst the pandemic. You can read more about this year’s Street Music Week here.
STORY OF HOPE
SNAP, who has been partnering with City of Spokane to respond to basic needs requests made by calling the city’s 311 line during the pandemic, reached out to Second Harvest this week to help a family of seven seeking food assistance while quarantining due to COVID-19.
SNAP directed their volunteer, Miracle, to Second Harvest’s Mobile Market distribution at West Central Community Center. Within 30 minutes of receiving the call requesting her help, SNAP’s “miracle” volunteer had picked up emergency food boxes from the distribution and was on her way to deliver them to the family. Thank you, SNAP, City of Spokane and Miracle for helping ensure everyone in our community can stay safe and get the food they need during this crisis!
To sign up to receive our COVID-19 updates via email, please click here.
Food Safety First: – April 19
In January and March, AIB International conducted audits of our facilities – the Pasco Distribution Center, the Spokane Distribution Center and the Wolff Family Child Hunger Solution Center. As has been the case for more than a decade, we received scores of 930 or higher, out of a possible 1000. Anything above 900 is considered exemplary.
While receiving high scores from AIB is important, we are equally proud of the fact that any day of the year, our team is always working to keep our buildings clean and our food supply safe. This speaks to the strong food safety culture we have here at Second Harvest.
A celebration of our volunteers – April 12
Volunteering doesn’t have to be a one-time thing and the individuals who volunteer at Second Harvest in Spokane and Pasco have proven that in many ways. Even though April is nationally recognized as Volunteer Month, our gratitude for your service is year-round. In the last couple of years, the Volunteer Center in Spokane has gone through various changes and adjustments to keep up with the increase in food demand, prompted first by COVID in 2020 and then by inflation. Even with the changes, our volunteer support has stayed and become even stronger. Our community is filled with mission-driven individuals to help us feed, nourish and build the community around us.
In The Kitchen: Food Waste Prevention Week – April 5
Earth Month is the perfect opportunity to reflect on our habits and how they impact the planet. We might think about how often we drive and take advantage of the nicer weather to bike to work, or maybe even grab some friends and family and find a river cleanup event for Earth Day. But did you know that you can make an impact without even leaving your house? In fact, reflecting on our cooking and grocery shopping habits has the potential to have a greater and long-lasting impact on our environment.
Feeding Eastern Washington and North Idaho
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