EVENTS HAPPENING IN YOUR AREA.
PANDEMIC EBT BENEFITS, SCHOOL DISTRIBUTIONS AND MORE – JULY 2
PANDEMIC EBT EMERGENCY SCHOOL MEALS PROGRAM
Because of the COVID-19 crisis, children who are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals can receive extra food benefits called Pandemic-EBT, or P-EBT. P-EBT is a new and temporary food benefit to help families in Washington state buy food because schools were closed. For more information about the program, including how to apply, click here.
FRESH AND FROZEN SCHOOL DISTRIBUTIONS
Second Harvest continues to distribute fresh and frozen food supplies at schools across seven districts in the Greater Spokane area to meet the increased need for food assistance due to the COVID-19 crisis. Gonzaga University recently published an article and video about the weekly distributions their Center for Community Engagement helps with at Arlington Elementary in northeast Spokane. You can find out if a school near you is hosting distributions on the school’s communication channels.
FOOD INSECURITY UPDATE
Second Harvest’s Chief of Staff, Drew Meuer, recently shared about the current need for food assistance, projected trends in the coming months and how to help our neighbors facing hunger in an interview with KHQ News. You can watch the interview here.
STORY OF HOPE
“We serve in the community where we live. When you live in a community, you need to be fully integrated into that community. If there is a need in the community you can fill, why not do it?”
Luis and his wife had never been to a food bank before the COVID-19 pandemic. But when they were both furloughed from their jobs, they suddenly found themselves struggling to afford food. After receiving help from a Mobile Market free food distribution, Luis decided to begin volunteering at Second Harvest. Even though he’s back to work, he continues to volunteer to help others in his community get through the crisis. Read more about Luis here.
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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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