EVENTS HAPPENING IN YOUR AREA.
“STAY HOME, STAY HEALTHY,” FOOD BANKS, MOBILE MARKET, VOLUNTEERS – MARCH 24
“STAY HOME, STAY HEALTHY” ORDER
Second Harvest is an essential service, and we will remain open during the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order in Washington. We are still distributing food to partners and through our direct service programs. We are also still in need of volunteers to help sort and repack food for distribution.
FOOD BANKS
Food banks are considered an essential service, like grocery stores, and can remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you need food assistance, you can still visit your local food bank for help. Please call first, as some food banks are modifying their hours of operation to comply with social distancing recommendations.
If you can’t leave your home because you are quarantined or part of a high-risk population, please call your local food bank to ask how they can help you or if a family member or friend can pick up food for you. Many food banks are making adjustments to protect everyone’s health and safety. Please call your local food bank to inquire about any accommodations.
To find your local food bank, click here.
MOBILE MARKET
As the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic leaves more people needing food assistance across the Inland Northwest, Second Harvest’s Mobile Market is rolling to respond. These free food distributions bring groceries directly to people in need. We’re working with our partners to assess service gaps throughout our service territory and bring the Mobile Market to high-need communities. We’ve modified our distribution model to help keep everyone safe and allow for social distancing.
Here’s how we’re using free food distributions to meet the increased need due to the COVID-19 pandemic:
- On March 23 and 24, the Mobile Market bus brought groceries to kids and families at Pope Francis Haven Apartments, Lidgerwood Elementary, Logan Elementary and Planet Kids Daycare in Spokane. The food that families took home helped fill gaps while schools are closed and while some families re experiencing decreased incomes and increased expenses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Second Harvest’s hunger solution center in Pasco scheduled drive-thru food distributions on March 24 and 26, making it possible for up to 250 families each day to take home pre-packaged boxes of more than 20 pounds of fresh, frozen and shelf-stable food.
- Beginning March 28, Second Harvest will provide food for weekly food distributions of Blue Mountain Action Council (BMAC) in Walla Walla. BMAC is a longtime partner of Second Harvest and typically hosts several Mobile Market distributions. Given the increased need during this crisis, BMAC will host a weekly distribution every Saturday to help provide food to people impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information on our Mobile Market, click here. To see the when the Mobile Market is coming to your area, click here.
VOLUNTEERING
Second Harvest has been identified as an essential business and is able to continue our operations during the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order for Washington. Our volunteer workforce is also exempt from this order and is more important than ever to help pack food for distribution to our communities most in need.
We have made modifications to our shifts in our volunteer center and warehouse to ensure we are following the CDC’s recommendations. The health and safety of our volunteers, clients, partners, staff and entire community is paramount. In keeping with CDC guidance, we ask that adults 65 or older, people with serious underlying conditions or who are exhibiting symptoms of any illness, anyone who has traveled internationally, or is in any other high-risk group stay home at this time.
Our shift schedule is available on our website, and you can sign up here.
To sign up to receive our updates to COVID-19 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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