SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 2016 |
Special Advertising Section
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Northwest Harvest fights
to feed struggling families
Years after the end of the recession, food-
bank lines around the state are still at record
levels. Organizations such as Northwest
Harvest are working harder than ever to
meet this need. We’re also focusing on new
priorities, including nutrition and health,
which work hand-in-hand with existing
food-distribution efforts to directly impact
communities across the state.
It takes a little less than four hours from
Seattle, past breathtaking Cascade Mountain
scenery, to reach Leavenworth “Icicle” Sta-
tion on Amtrak. Leavenworth, a charming
Bavarian village along the Wenatchee River,
is the ultimate tourist destination. But its
people face a challenge no less daunting than
the peaks looming over Main Street: a tourist
economy that leaves too many permanent
residents struggling, often dependent on lo-
cal food banks such as Community Cup-
board.
“The cost of living is almost as expensive
to live here as parts of the outer Seattle area,”
notes one resident who raised four children
alone while living and working in town.
“Food costs are just as expensive here.”
Many struggle with the low wages they have
come to expect in the tourist economy.
Why stay? “Some people … can’t afford
to move. This is where the work is [in our
area],” says one resident. Notes another resi-
dent, simply, “This is my home.”
Others struggle to keep their families afloat.
One resident is a full-time caretaker for his
89-year-old mother. “I can’t work — it’s
a 24-hour job.” He relies on his mother’s
Social Security check to provide for the fam-
ily. “Without the food bank … it would be
rough living. [And] we’ve got the grandkids
three days a week.”
Significant support for Leavenworth’s food
banks comes from Northwest Harvest ware-
houses in Kent, Yakima and Spokane. They
dispatch trucks laden with food-drive dona-
tions, nutritious fruits and vegetables, and
staples like rice and oats to bring the bounty
of our state to those in need through more
than 380 similar food banks, meal programs
and high-need schools statewide.
With too many in our state still struggling,
communities around Washington are rally-
ing around a new movement and a new cry:
Hunger stops here. Learn more about the
effort at
Northwest Harvest
For more information about Northwest Harvest,
visit
.
Donate. Volunteer.
Spread the word.
LEADING THE FIGHT
TO END HUNGER
SINCE 1967
