Reshaping hunger relief in Washington: A new report shows the impact of We Feed WA and its partners

Jessica Hernandez
We Feed WA

Food insecurity has long been a pressing issue in Washington State, and the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the problem. At the height of the pandemic, as many as one in three Washingtonians experienced or were at risk of experiencing food insecurity. Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) stepped up to coordinate emergency measures with the We Feed WA program, which deployed over $133 million in combined state and federal emergency relief funds to prevent hunger and stabilize the local food supply chain.

A new report from WSDA describes how We Feed WA effectively worked to empower communities, combat hunger, and increase equitable access to food across the state at a time when food insecurity was rapidly growing. 

Underlying causes of hunger

The economic impact of the pandemic has been significant, affecting lower-income households and threatening the long-term viability of the agricultural industry. To achieve lasting change, WSDA realized it was crucial to address the systemic economic and societal challenges that perpetuate food insecurity.

Despite various federal and state programs to address food insecurity, the pandemic revealed the need for a more comprehensive approach. WSDA's Food Assistance Program has been instrumental in coordinating resources and providing support to community-based hunger relief organizations. However, a more sustained effort is required to tackle the root causes of hunger. 

A new approach to hunger relief in Washington State

Recognizing the need for a more equitable approach, WSDA initiated the We Feed WA pilot food program in 2021. This program was created with the goal of providing hunger relief and support to communities, particularly those underserved by existing food assistance programs. 

Through collaboration with hunger relief groups, community-based organizations, and food businesses, We Feed WA provides funding for emergency food for hungry people while supporting local food producers. What’s more, the program aims to address the diverse needs and preferences of communities in Washington State, ensuring culturally relevant and nutritious food options.

Striving for equity in hunger relief

Equity is a core value of We Feed WA, and the program sought guidance from the Washington State Office of Equity to ensure fair and inclusive processes in administering funding. Efforts are made to reach underrepresented individuals and communities throughout the state. Additionally, We Feed WA's core objectives include taking a client-centered, needs-based approach to hunger relief. Meanwhile, the program aims to address the diverse needs and preferences of communities in Washington State, ensuring culturally relevant and nutritious food options. 

Impact of We Feed Washington

In its first year, We Feed WA provided approximately 14.8 million pounds of food to those in need. The program's partnerships have significantly expanded food access channels, reaching underserved communities and promoting economic viability for local producers. In total, over 155 hunger relief and community-based organizations, along with approximately 173 food businesses, have contributed to this impactful initiative.

Looking ahead

The success of We Feed WA in its first two years has led to continued funding, with $35 million allocated through June 2025. By fostering collaboration and providing culturally appropriate food, We Feed WA aims to continue making a positive impact on food access in Washington State.

If you are passionate about tackling food insecurity and promoting equity in Washington State, download the full report, “A new vision for hunger relief: How We Feed WA is shaping a more effective, equitable approach to emergency food relief in Washington State.” This comprehensive report highlights the achievements of the We Feed WA pilot food program and its ongoing efforts to eliminate hunger and advance equitable food access in Washington. 

Budget highlights: WSDA secures funding to expand programs through 2025

Daniel Schafer
Communications

Director Sandison visits the Emergency Food Network.

The Washington State Legislature approved the state’s two-year operating budget April 23, and Governor Jay Inslee approved May 16. The new budget will fund the state’s government through June 30, 2025.

Along with other state agencies, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has received funding that will allow us to continue providing the services we already offer our partners. But over the next two years, we’ll also have the resources we need to expand some important programs. In this article, we’ll highlight three areas where WSDA will be growing.

Improving food systems while advancing equity

Since the onset of the global pandemic, WSDA has been at the leading edge ensuring Washington’s food systems are strong and effective while decreasing food insecurity within the state.

As part of this effort, WSDA uses grant opportunities to provide a safety net for many producers. To support us in this effort, WSDA received $8 million dollars for local food system and infrastructure grants, $1 million for meat and poultry assistance grants, $30 million for food assistance programs, and $10.6 million in Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funding to provide supplemental flexibility in spending to continue supporting our Washington farmers and their families.

Additionally, funding for our We Feed Washington initiative and related programs totaled $63 million in the 2023 budget. These funds will be used to decrease food insecurity for hungry Washington families.

What’s more, WSDA is committed to advancing equity and environmental justice in our state, with the goal of ensuring every Washingtonian has access to healthy, safe, and culturally relevant food. To contribute to these goals, WSDA was awarded $180,000 to continue working with communities while responding to recommendations we made to the state legislature in 2022.

Continuing collaboration efforts

From invasive pests to water availability, Washington’s food producers face a slew of challenges. The 2023–2025 budget includes funds designed to increase collaboration across that state, equipping producers to face these challenges. These funds include $400,000 that will allow WSDA to partner with WSU’s IMPACT Center to conduct an Ag competitiveness study that will analyze producers' challenges and identify tools to address them. WSDA also received $581,000 to enhance the WA Soil Health Initiative and implement a voluntary program that provides producers with tools to track soil health, providing the state with information that will be critical to improving farming viability in the future.

Responding to the threat of invasive pests

WSDA works to maintain and improve the health of Washington’s farms, but eradicating and containing invasive pests – including insects, noxious weeds, and more – benefits the entire state. We have already made significant progress in detecting, trapping, and eradicating many invasive pests, but the effort is ongoing. Thanks to funding from the Washington State Legislature, we can continue our efforts of detecting and eradicating invasive pests that pose the greatest threats in our state: northern giant hornets, spotted lanternfly, popillia japonica (Japanese beetle), and invasive moths.

Looking ahead

With WSDA’s budget set for another two-year cycle, we are excited to continue our mission to protect consumers, ensure public health, and serve as stewards of the environment in Washington state through service, regulation, and advocacy.

To learn more about the 2023–2025 budget, visit the State budgets page on the Washington State Office of Financial Management’s website.

More than $53 million invested in feeding hungry Washingtonians

Amber Betts
WSDA Communications

During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis in 2020, as many as 1 in 3 Washingtonians experienced food insecurity. Chances are you may know someone affected, or have been part of this statistic yourself. Since July of last year, WSDA stepped in and launched a program that has issued more than $82 million in contracts to provide emergency food resources to those people and their families.

In Washington, a federal program benefited many families, farms, and food businesses until it abruptly ended in early 2021. In response, WSDA launched the We Feed WA Pilot Food Program in July 2021 to bring emergency food from Washington-based farms and food businesses to socially disadvantaged people experiencing hunger.

The We Feed WA pilot is the state alternative to the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program that expired in May of 2021. This federally funded pilot program is part of the state’s coordinated response to decrease food insecurity resulting from the COVID-19 crisis and recovery period.

WSDA awarded more than $53 million this year to 21 hunger relief organizations that provide emergency food for the people in our state that need it most. We Feed WA helps hunger relief organizations that serve socially disadvantaged communities continue their work through partnerships with local and regional food producers, farmers and ranchers, processors and distributors.

Award recipients are providing goods and services across the state ranging from providing food directly to hungry Washingtonians, to procurement and unique distribution expertise, and technical assistance. There are five (5) award types;

• -      Fresh Boxes ($22,124,850)
• -      Emergency Boxes ($20,113,500)
• -      Equity-Centered Household & Local Distribution ($2,681,800)
• -      Supplemental Emergency Food Procurement, Logistics & Distribution ($8,045,400)
• -      Technical Assistance ($670,450)

Each business and organization have contracted and committed to working alongside WSDA, learning from this pilot program and continuously assessing the needs and barriers that food insecure Washingtonians and food enterprises face.

Purpose

This program aims to facilitate the procurement and distribution of emergency food across Washington state to hunger relief organizations, including organizations that serve black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC), and other socially disadvantaged communities as directed by the Washington State Legislature while increasing the vitality of regional farms and food businesses.

Current contract awards range from $150,000 to more than $9 million. A diverse pool of Community Reviewers determined awards based on application scores.

For more information, visit agr.wa.gov/about-wsda/we-feed-wa or email wefeedwa@agr.wa.gov. The pilot program is part of WSDA’s Focus on Food Initiative, ensuring safe, nutritious, local food is effectively produced and available throughout our state.

WSDA awards $4.1 million in grants for hunger relief efforts

Hector Castro
WSDA Communications 

Last fall, WSDA announced a new grant program to help expand hunger relief efforts statewide, opening the grants up to all eligible hunger relief organizations serving Washington communities whether or not they were previously contract with WSDA to distribute food assistance.

This month, the agency notified 91 organizations around Washington that they would be receiving funds through the Flexible Fund Grant Program. In all, WSDA awarded $4.1 million to these organizations. 

WSDA distributes millions of dollars annually through its Food Assistance programs. The program works by contracting with hunger relief organizations, Tribes, and tribal organizations in all 39 counties to deliver government-funded food assistance resources across the state. These include both state funds and federal funds as well as commodities from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The Food Assistance Flexible Funding grants program is funded through the state Legislature to build resiliency through grants and initiatives. In its inaugural year, eligible grants fell into three categories:

• Making food distribution more efficient:  Improving food access through staff support, capacity improvements, and equipment purchasing.
• Targeted community needs: Supporting organizations serving historically underrepresented communities and needs.
• Innovations and food system improvements: Improving local food systems and/or supporting local agriculture and businesses.

Grants ranged from just under $1,000 to more than $200,000. Projects included culturally-relevant foods access, staffing, gleaning program expansion, warehouse equipment, facility renovations, and more. 

Visit agr.wa.gov/grants for more information about WSDA grant opportunities, including the second round of this grant program to launch Spring 2022 under a new name, the Resiliency Grants Program. 

The grant program contributes to WSDA’s ongoing Focus on Food Initiative, which focuses on strengthening Washington’s food system at the regional level and ensuring safe, nutritious food is effectively produced and distributed throughout our state.

WSDA awards $1.5 million in grants for Farm to School efforts

Annette Slonim
WSDA Farm to School 

Last fall, WSDA announced a new grant program to promote and expand farm to school efforts by supporting local food purchasing in schools, child care centers, and summer meal programs statewide. Thanks to an appropriation from the 2021 Legislative Session, WSDA received $5 million in the 2021-23 state budget to launch the new grant and expand WSDA’s Farm to School program 

This month, the agency notified 52 organizations, spanning 23 counties around the state, that they were awarded funds from of the first round of the new Farm to School Purchasing Grants.  A second round of grants will be available for the 2022-2023 school year.

In all, WSDA awarded $1,503,874 in the first round of grants. The recipients include:

• 38 school programs
• including 1 tribal school program
• 13 child care programs
• including 2 tribal early learning programs
• 1 summer meal program

The Farm to School Purchasing Grant is meant to support farm to
school efforts by making it possible for schools, childcares, and summer meal programs to increase their procurement of Washington grown foods. Farm to school purchasing makes nutritious, local foods available to more children and expands market opportunities for local farms.   

The grants range from $1,000 to more than $200,000, based on the number of children served by the program or the size of the nutrition program.  The grant is administered in partnership with Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).

You can learn more about the grants at agr.wa.gov/FarmToSchool or by emailing farmtoschool@agr.wa.gov. 

The grant program contributes to WSDA’s Focus on Food Initiative, which focuses on strengthening Washington’s food system at the regional level and ensuring safe, nutritious food is effectively produced and distributed throughout our state.

Grant applications now open for Farm to Food Bank, a program to reduce food waste and feed Washingtonians

Nichole Garden
WSDA Food Assistance Program 

Photo Courtesy of Maddie Price,
Harvest Against Hunger.

A food bank client in Kitsap County visited a local restaurant to thank the chef, who made soup they received at a local food bank during the pandemic shutdown.

The soup the client’s family received—made from scratch using locally grown, donated produce—was just a fraction of the 680 quarts of soup processed and distributed in the area from September 2020 to March 2021 through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Farm to Food Bank grant. 

The soup project was run by Kitsap Conservation District with support from the Olympic Community Action Program. They worked with local chefs who processed more than one ton of gleaned and donated vegetables into 25 different types of soups, which were frozen before distribution to food pantry clients. 

The project provided access to healthy, ready-to-eat meals to food pantry clients, helped reduce on-farm food waste, and even kept a restaurant’s staff employed during the worst part of the shutdown.

TEFAP Farm to Food Bank projects, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the 2018 Farm Bill, helps capture food from agricultural producers to distribute to food pantry clients, while also reducing food waste through partnerships with farms, gleaning operations, and others. 

Another round of Farm to Food Bank grants opened on December 10 for public agencies, tribes, and nonprofit organizations for services provided from April 1 – October 31, 2022.

About the Farm to Food Bank program

With USDA’s TEFAP Farm to Food Bank funding, WSDA is able to support projects across the state that—like the one in Kitsap County—help with the harvest, processing, packaging, or transportation of unharvested, unprocessed, or unpackaged foods that are donated by agricultural producers, processors, or distributors. The food is then distributed by TEFAP emergency feeding organizations to food-insecure Washingtonians. These projects help build relationships between agricultural producers, processors, and distributors.

Year 1 results

In 2020, with little time to implement the program, WSDA prioritized projects with Farm to Food Pantry subcontractors who were already gleaning a tremendous amount of produce for food pantries and meal programs in rural areas, as well as areas identified as food deserts by the USDA. 

In addition to the production of ready-to-eat soups in Kitsap County, Farm to Food Bank funded these activities in its first year.

• 
  Gleaning: Harvest Against Hunger, our Farm to Food Pantry partner, purchased and distributed harvesting materials, including collapsible produce crates, compostable produce bags, twist-ties, and electronic scales, to aid gleaning organizations that provide food to TEFAP food pantries and meal programs across the state.

• Refrigeration: Chelan Douglas Community Action Council purchased a refrigerated container and supported the installation of a walk-in refrigerator at Upper Valley MEND, a nonprofit that runs a food pantry and vibrant gleaning program in the heart of orchard country. These investments expanded access to freshly gleaned produce from just a few families to recipients across two counties. 

• Weekly deliveries and centralized storage: The North East Washington Hunger Coalition made weekly produce deliveries to 15 food pantries across 260 miles. In partnership with Rural Resources Community Action Council they were able to purchase a refrigerated container along the delivery route to safely store donated produce between pickups or transfers to food pantries, reducing the time it takes to deliver perishable foods in this large service area. The funding also employed a dedicated gleaning coordinator. 

Together, these projects captured more than 82,000 pounds of donated produce and aided the production of 1,400 pounds of processed soups that were distributed through TEFAP food pantries. Investments in building refrigerated capacity will help reduce waste for years to come.

Year 2 projects

In the program’s second year, 2021, WSDA opened a grant application period that was open to all of our current contractors. Year 2 projects include:

• Gleaning: WSDA continued to collaborate with Harvest Against Hunger to fund harvest supplies for qualified gleaning organizations. New items included produce washing stations, tree fruit harvesting bags, and more.

• Value-added processing support: Chelan Douglas Community Action provided harvesting supplies and funded gleaning coordinator salaries for their subcontractor, Upper Valley MEND. Due to staffing shortages, they were unable to pursue value-added processing by restaurants to the extent they had hoped. Instead, they purchased equipment to support in-house processing in the future.

• Pantry on the Go: Central Kitsap Conservation District was able to support a portion of their Pantry on the Go Program, a mobile food pantry that supplements TEFAP commodities with donated produce. The program provides food for seniors and people living in low-income housing in rural, underserved areas. They also partnered with Kitsap Conservation District to continue the soup project from Year 1.

Year 3 grant applications 

The application period for the next round of Farm to Food Bank grants are open until January 31 for services that will be provided between April 1 – October 31, 2022. Grants will be a minimum of $30,000 with the total amount allocated $140,000. 

The application is open to public agencies, tribes, and nonprofit organizations. For more details on qualifications and to apply, visit the TEFAP Farm to Food Bank Grants webpage. Email Nichole Garden at ngarden@agr.wa.gov for any questions about the TEFAP Farm to Food Bank grant.

Small farms succeed with assistance from WSDA’s Regional Markets team

Laura Raymond
WSDA Regional Markets Program Manager 

If you run a small or midsize direct-marketing farm in Washington state, you know it takes a lot for your business to succeed.

You need to understand the local, state, and federal rules, regulations, and standards and know how to comply with them. You need an effective distribution infrastructure and relationships to ensure that the products you grow or raise can reach customers. If you want to sell in a different marketplace—such as wholesale instead of retail—you need information and guidance to decide whether that market is a good fit and how to be successful within it. You might even need to learn to farm differently. 

WSDA’s Regional Markets team helps small and mid-scale farms in Washington state with all of this—and much more. Their central objective is to help these farms succeed and strengthen local food systems. 

What Regional Markets does

Small farms, which make up 89% of the state’s 39,000 farms, have unique needs when it comes to selling their products on a local or regional scale. Planning, planting, tending, harvesting, storage, processing, and distribution all require different systems than those that are set up for larger producers. 

To help these farms succeed, Regional Markets offers wide range of support, including efforts to:

• Increase small farm access to local markets.
• Increase the availability of Washington-grown products in schools and institutions.
• Encourage connections and infrastructure to boost regional food economies. 
• Provide farms and food buyers with technical assistance.
• Provide farms with marketing support and guidance.
• Facilitate farmer-buyer connections.
• Support and regulatory guidance for good food safety practices.
• Advocate for small farms at the national and local levels.
• Create resources and publications to help farms strengthen local market connections.
• Provide opportunities to grow or strengthen their businesses through state grant programs. 

Regional Markets is often the first stop for farmers and local food businesses searching for information and resources to sell in their chosen markets. The program also helps buyers such as school districts that want to include local farm products in their menus. They might attend a Farm to School Institute, participate in a Farmer-Buyer Meeting, take part in regularly scheduled Community of Practice calls to connect with others in their sector, or download The Handbook for Small and Direct Marketing Farms (“The Green Book”), the Regional Market's complete guide to direct marketing strategies and regulations. 

By giving small and mid-scale farms the support they need, Regional Markets functions as a key program under the Focus on Food Initiative, which works to connect Washington farmers and food producers with buyers and to ensure that everyone in our state has access to good food.

Learn more about Regional Markets

To learn more about how this program supports small farms, visit the Regional Markets webpage or agr.wa.gov/FarmFoodBiz where you can find information about these grants, and more:

• Small Meat Processor Capacity Grants
• COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Grants
• Farm to School Purchasing Grants
• Profiting From Your Pivot Program
• Local Food System Infrastructure Capacity Grants

The numbers are in: Farm to Food Pantry continues to make a big impact

Nichole Garden
WSDA Food Assistance Program

Washington onions are one of many crops bought
thanks to the Farm to Food Pantry initiative. 

Veterans Farm at Orting is a 160-acre swath of land nestled at the foot of Mount Rainier which serves as a farm incubator for beginning veteran farmers by leasing them parcels of land where they can learn to grow and raise food. This year, three of its farmers are growing food for Nourish, a Pierce County-based non-profit contracting with WSDA’s Farm to Food Pantry (F2FP) initiative. This initiative, established in 2014, is a partnership between WSDA and Harvest Against Hunger (HAH) that creates ways for Washingtonians in need to receive fresh food from local farmers and gives an economic boost to the local farms. 

Because of the initiative, Nourish is able to support the Orting farmers by purchasing their food directly. This partnership is mirrored across the state as F2FP continues to grow. 

Each of the Orting veteran farmers contributes a unique mix of products. Mark Jacobs of Jacobs Agro supplies hearty greens, such as collards and kale, as well as onions, potatoes, and tomatoes. Jillian Locascio of Dancing Sprouts Farm sells Nourish a bounty of greens, including spinach and bok choy. Terry and Regina Strong of Strong Roots Farm sent over summer squash, melons, cucumbers, and some of the 22 varieties of cherry tomatoes they grew.

Carrie Little, who manages the farm through the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs, says it’s gratifying to “watch these amazing humans get excited about growing food” as they develop solid relationships with organizations that pay them for their products. And, she adds, the farmers love knowing that their food is feeding community members who need it. Nourish is also happy with the arrangement and has earmarked extra funds to buy even more from the Orting operation. 

New partnerships like these are making a significant impact. According to the Farm to Food Pantry Annual Report 2020, hunger relief organizations across the state combined grant funds with match dollars to purchase more than 105,000 pounds of produce from 97 farms to feed residents in need across 23 counties in Washington in 2020. Participating farms also donated a whopping 448,153 pounds of surplus produce through Farm to Food Pantry.

With even more funding available this year, thanks to a significant investment from the state legislature, WSDA expects those numbers to continue to grow.

Grant applications

The 2022-2023 Farm to Food Pantry grant application is now open. In addition to produce, the initiative will allow purchases of grains, dairy, eggs, and meat during this grant round. Grants will also provide administrative funding to support the coordination of these efforts.

Applications are now being accepted from prospective Farm to Food Pantry regional agencies through November 30. Recipients will receive a biennial allocation, with between $3,500 and $20,000 available from January 1 through June 30, 2022 and between $3,500 and $30,000 from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023. 

Washington grown spinach.

Organizations that receive a grant to build new relationships with their local farmer through procurement, or enhance their current relationships, will not do s
o in a vacuum. WSDA and Harvest Against Hunger provide ongoing support, including monthly cohort meetings for participating organizations as well as technical support and resources, such as the Grower’s Roundtable Kit, a contracting guide and farm contract templates, purchasing calendar template, and fundraising guidance.

By connecting farmers and hunger relief organizations and encouraging community investment, Farm to Food Pantry is meeting key goals of WSDA’s Focus on Food initiative: increasing access to fresh, nutrient-dense foods for people experiencing food insecurity; supporting Washington agriculture; and facilitating connections between food providers and producers at the regional level. 

People, no matter what their income, want to know that food grown in their community is feeding the people that live there. This initiative helps make that possible by giving emergency food providers across the state greater flexibility to buy food grown and raised by local farmers. WSDA and HAH are proud to help facilitate these connections.

Apply now to become a regional agency through 2023. Access the grant materials here and contact Maddie Price by email or calling 206-236-0408 x105 with questions about the grant or the Farm to Food Pantry initiative. 

Students, get your forks ready – WSDA hosts farm to school institutes

Laura Raymond and Annette Slonim
WSDA Farm to School program

As school districts across the state establish farm to school connections, they are buying more and more Washington-grown foods to incorporate into new and growing farm to school meal programs. Successful farm to school efforts are nurturing relationships with local farms and other food producers, transitioning to scratch-cooked foods, successfully introducing new menu items, and much more. It’s an exciting opportunity for farmers and students in our state. 

Salad prep at a pre-pandemic workshop on
Farm to School food preparation.

But launching a farm to school program isn’t easy. It requires creativity, dedication, and new ways of working for cafeterias and districts to source seasonally, develop new recipes, and work with fresh and whole ingredients. 

Transitioning to more scratch cooking is a key component of success and this can be a challenging shift; many school districts don’t have the equipment, staff, or training they need to clean, peel, and chop freshly harvested vegetables or to handle large quantities of fresh dairy, poultry, and meats. 

Sourcing seasonally and locally can mean working with ingredients that are uncommon in the conventional school lunchroom, like whole grains and dried legumes, that are plentiful in Washington. These districts need resources and support.

USDA grant kick starts farm to school institutes

To help school districts get started or strengthen their existing farm to school and scratch-cooking efforts, WSDA was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service to develop a series of Farm to School Institutes. 

These institutes offered presentations that covered topics such as developing relationships with producers, procurement options and requirements, delivery and storage, hiring and training kitchen staff, earning student trust, serving culturally relevant foods, menu planning, and planning promotional events. 

During the three virtual events this summer, teams of school nutrition directors, nutritionists, cooks, board members, educators, and others learned from chefs, WSDA staff, and other school nutrition professionals in Washington who run successful farm to school meal programs. 

Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. Members of the teams from the more than 20 districts attending said the presentations provided a goldmine of information, resources, and inspiration.

WSDA held three institutes: one for districts in Western Washington, one for those in Eastern Washington, and one focused on tribal and traditional foods.

A trolley of fresh produce celebrating
Farm to School on Taste Washington Day.

The institutes, run by a team composed of WSDA Farm to School staff, culinary professionals, and tribal and traditional foods educators, drew on the knowledge and experiences of school food professionals from programs of different sizes and styles: districts deep in our state’s agricultural regions, big-city school districts, districts serving a handful of schools, and tribes serving students in their communities. All left with an action plan to advance their own farm to school goals. Presenters also came from districts in various stages of farm to school implementation.

 

Here are just a few of the insights shared by the presenters:

• The Muckleshoot Cooks Project emphasized the importance of on-the-job training for busy nutrition workers, serving traditional foods weekly, and striving for food sovereignty over time.

• West Valley School District in Yakima plans meals using a seasonality guide and emphasizes the importance of having a central kitchen to the success of their project.

• Coupeville School District Connected Food Program uses food from its on-site farm and local farmers. They offer just one hot meal option each day, made in part from foods they prepared in bulk.

• Seattle Public Schools procures produce from about five local farms for certain meals since no single local farmer can meet the needs of the whole district.

• Youth leaders from Food Empowerment Education Sustainability Team (FEEST) emphasized the importance of meals that are culturally relevant for students and the value of engaging students in menu development. 

As energized participants apply the skills and knowledge they gained through the Institutes, WSDA anticipates that even more students—in more regions of Washington—will be eating foods from Washington farms and food producers at school.

If you would like to buy food from local farms for your school food program, you can apply for a WSDA Farm to School purchasing grant. Visit agr.wa.gov/FarmToSchool or email farmtoschool@agr.wa.gov for more information about the purchase grants.

WSDA grant funds new offices for Pierce County food bank, projects statewide in support of food assistance

Hector Castro
WSDA Communications

The new office building for the Emergency Food Network, tucked just off South Tacoma Way in Lakewood, is a simple, modular building across the street from the organization’s food distribution warehouse.

New offices for the Emergency Food Network.

There is a tidy vegetable garden out front and 10 offices inside that open onto an ample meeting room. Construction of the $622,000 office building was one of dozens of projects funded statewide through a WSDA grant program for food assistance organizations.

To Michelle Douglas, CEO of the Emergency Food Network, the building’s very existence is worth celebrating.

“We could not be more excited for our new building and the impact it will have on our work,” she said in a statement announcing the building’s ribbon cutting ceremony last week.

New offices were on EFN’s to-do list for the past few years, but the COVID-19 pandemic made the need acute. Like many food assistance providers, EFN saw a huge increase in need as the pandemic spread, distributing 19.5 million pounds of food in 2020, compared to 14 million pounds the year before. The rising workload meant EFN needed more staff, but employees were already squeezed in the limited office space available at their warehouse.

The WSDA supplemental capacity grant, $576,000 to EFN, was enough to complete the project.

Grant program supports to food assistance statewide

The WSDA supplemental capacity grants were funded through $6.4 million provided by the Legislature in the last session, using funds provided earlier from federal COVID relief money.

WSDA Director Sandison speaking at the ribbon cutting for
the new building for the Emergency Food Network.

The grants were meant to address the pressures on the state’s emergency food system. There was one catch – the money had to be spent by June 30, the end of the fiscal year, with most of the grants awarded in March and April.

Nevertheless, WSDA managed to provide grants to more than 80 food assistance organizations in 25 Washington counties, with awards ranging from $2,400 to $700,000.

The grants funded a box truck with a lift gate for a food bank in Yakima County, a walk-in cooler for another organization in Whatcom County, as well as building improvements, freezers, pallet jacks, shelving, forklifts, and other vehicles for food assistance operations statewide.

Michelle Douglas (L) is CEO of the Emergency Food Network.
Also pictured: WSDA Director Sandison and communications
director Hector Castro, EFN development director Elizabeth Howe (R).
(Photo credit: Emergency Food Network)

“Agriculture has always been about feeding people,” WSDA Director Derek Sandison said. “Making sure that our food assistance safety net remains strong and robust is a natural extension of what we do at WSDA. As the need remains high, we plan to continue efforts like these to provide on-going support for food assistance providers and the communities they serve.”

WSDA distributes millions of dollars annually through its Food Assistance Program, contracting with hunger relief organizations and Tribes in all 39 counties to make sure government-funded food assistance resources are available to people across the state. The agency also administers U.S. Department of Agriculture programs that bring not just dollars, but millions of dollars’ worth of food into food banks, food pantries, and tribal programs.

Dona Ponepinto, president of United Way of Pierce County,
with EFN's Douglas and WSDA Director Sandison.
The van was donated by the United Way.
(Photo credit: Emergency Food Network)

But in 2020, WSDA had to increase its food assistance efforts in response
to the need for food assistance brought on by the pandemic and related economic hardship. The agency was able to obtain additional state and federal COVID-relief funds, using the money to buy food, supplies and other materials needed to support food assistance efforts statewide.

Money for the supplemental capacity grants is just one of the appropriations legislators provided to WSDA this past session in support of on-going food assistance efforts, including an additional $23 million to increase support for hunger relief organizations, farm to community initiatives, local food purchasing, and capacity grants. The next round of grant applications will be coming in early fall.

You can read more about WSDA’s efforts in our Ag Briefs blog post, “Food security during COVID-19, WSDA rises to the challenge” and this infographic, “Food security during COVID-19.”