2011 Winter Newsletter by Washington Food Coalition

Washington Food Coalition C/O Thurston County Food Bank 220 NE Thurston Olympia, WA 98501 Tel: 360.352.8597 Washington Food Coalition www.ThurstonCountyFoodBank.org

NON-PROFIT U.S. Postage PAID Olympia, WA Permit No. 236

www.wafoodcoalition.org

PO Box 95752 Seattle, WA 98145

phone: 206.729.0501 fax: 206.729.0504 info@wafoodcoalition.org

Food for Thought

These are rocky times. Money is short, resources are strained, and client numbers are increasing rapidly. These are problems the emergency food community has faced for years, Newsletter Winter 2011 • www.WaFoodCoalition.org but they have accelerated during the past couple years. Knowing Hunger in Washington During this time, it has become increasingly clear why the Hunger in our state is at levels that continue to put Washington Food Coalition strain on the emergency food system. Knowing this is so important. is important, but sharing the facts of hunger with What organization in Washington others in your community can make an even greater State wholly and specifically impact. Here is some information and trends about hunger represents the interests of in Washington that we encourage you to share emergency food sites with donors, elected officials, and others in your and their clients?

CURRENT RESIDENT OR

Working Together for a Hunger-Free Washington

Let Us Know

Make the WFC Conference What YOU Want It to Be The 2010 WFC Conference Committee is looking for your input for the September event. If you have any ideas for workshops, speakers, trainings, etc. -- informational or just plain fun -- pass them on. We would also love your participation in the organization and/or implementation of the conferencence. Contact: Joe Gruber joe@udistrictfoodbank.org Kris Van Gasken dmafb@bigplanet.com

Is this address correct and current? If not, please let us know!

Save the Date! e! Washington Food Coalition t a D e h t e Sav Annual Conference 2012 September October 15-17th 3rd-5th in Chelan Washington Food Coalition Conference

Celebrating 20Years

Wenatchee Convention Center

your calendar now for our 2012training, Annualtours ConferThe conference willMark feature speakers, workshops, technical and ence on beautiful Lake Chelan. This event will be part time to network and learn from others in your  eld. Flyers and registration of our celebration of 20 years as the all-Washington & only-Washington coalition for emergency materials will be sent out this summer,grassroots but mark your calendars today! food providers. The conference will be packed with all of the usual fabulous workshops and sessions, as well Conferen Inspiration! as many celebration events and newce tours! “We very much enjoyed and appreciated the WashingtonWe Food Conference … we just started are Coalition thrilled to announce our 2012 Keynote a new blog as a result attending workshop at the Speaker, Jimof Weill. Jim Weillahas been President of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) conference." since February 1998. Jim has devoted his entire

professional career to WFC reducing hunger andParticipant Kathy McLaughlin, 2009 Convention

poverty, protecting the legal rights of children and poor people, and expanding economic security, income and nutrition support programs and health insurance coverage. Thank you Northwest Harvest for your generous support of the 2009 WFC Conference. It made the event a true success.

Only the Washington Food Coalition.

community: · Since the beginning of the current recession, the number

of Washington families struggling with hunger has almost doubled. From 2008 to 2011, the number of households experiencing hunger rose nearly 100% to more than 160,000 households. This is 6.1% of total households in Washington. Washington’s rate of hunger is 11th highest in the nation. · The percent of Washington households reporting very low food security, where food intake was actually reduced and normal eating patterns were disrupted, increased from 3.6% in 2005-2007 to 5.8% in 2007-2009, the highest rate in more than a decade. · As many as 400,000 children in Washington – or 25% – live in food insecure households. · In the fall of 2012, multiple food banks reported an all-time high record number of clients. The emergency food network distributed over 130 million pounds of food statewide in 2010. · The number of visits to food banks (visits = the first time someone uses the food bank plus any subsequent visits) went from 7.80 million in FY10 to 7.98 million in FY11, a significant increase. There were nearly 2 million visits (new + returning clients) to food banks statewide in just the Fall of 2012, an increase of more than 59,000 when compared to the same quarter last year. This increase in usage has put the emergency food system under a great deal of stress. · In the past year, emergency food providers reported over 16 million fewer pounds of food was donated compared to the previous year. That equates to a loss of over $24 million worth of donated food coming into the food bank system. It is clear that donations are down, visits are up and their need for additional food and money is urgent. · Households with significantly higher rates of food insecurity include: lower income households, single men, African American and Hispanic households, and households with children headed by a single woman. · About 985,000 individuals per month in Washington received food assistance through the Basic Food Program in 2010. This was a 20.6% increase from the year before. In terms of dollars distributed, Basic Food issuance (from both federal and state funds) in 2010 totaled over $1.5 billion. · The National School Breakfast and Lunch Program and the Summer Feeding Programs served over one million adults and children in Washington. · The Women Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, (which includes the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program) served over 315,000 state residents in 2010. Contact us for sources on the above information and to learn more about hunger in Washington.

Celebrating Years 1992-2012

2012 marks 20 years since the formation of Washington Food Coalition. We plan to celebrate this year in all of our usual activities, as well as commemorate the occasion with some special events.

January February

Washington Food Coalition’s History Incorporated in 1992, the WFC is the result of a merger between the Western Washington Food Coalition and Eastern Washington’s Northwest Regional Food Network. Members of these independently incorporated organizations envisioned a comprehensive and cohesive statewide network. Their goal was to work cooperatively to alleviate hunger and provide a unified voice for hunger programs. The WFC currently has a diverse membership of hundreds of independently incorporated agencies.

March

Celebrate With Us!

April

January 1: Bonza Bash NYE 2012-A Diamond Night in the Emerald City Benefit for the Washington Food Coalition WFC has been chosen as the beneficiary for this prestigious event.

Don’t miss out on the special activities and opportunities during our anniversary year:

May June July August September

October November December

Learn more at www.BonzaBash.com

January 6: Harvest Against Hunger Yakima Area Summit Connecting Washington’s producers and providers to bring relief and reinvestment.

January 20: Harvest Against Hunger Seattle Area Summit Connecting Washington’s producers and providers to bring relief and reinvestment.

February 2: Harvest Against Hunger Olympia Area Summit Connecting Washington’s producers and providers to bring relief and reinvestment.

February 3: Hunger Action Day in Olympia

We work with our partner agency, the Anti-Hunger & Nutrition Coalition, on Hunger Action Day to highlight the issues facing hungry families in Washington and bring their stories to legislators. Register online at www.wsahnc.org

February 2012: Launch of all-new Washington Food Coalition website, complete with interactive Members-Only Online Community and Resource Center

Look for updates on how to access your login information for this tool. Check out the new website at www.WAFoodCoalition.org

Summer 2012: Release of Revised & Updated Recipes for Success Manual October 3-5: Washington Food Coalition Annual Conference

This year’s conference will be held at Campbell’s Resort in Chelan and will have plenty of special tools and exciting events to celebrate this milestone anniversary year. Mark your calendar now to join us!

October 24: 2nd Annual Food Day There are many more activities to come during this anniversary year! Stay tuned through our monthly eNewsletters, quarterly mailed newsletters, and updated information online for more activities as part of this special year.

Advocacy 101: Your Guide to Understanding Food for Thought A publication of the Government, Budgets, & What’s Ahead Washington State Government The basics:

The Washington State Legislature is a bicameral body (meaning it has two legislative bodies, not one) with 49 members in the Senate and 98 members in the House of Representatives. There are 49 legislative districts and each district is served by one Senator and two House members. The citizen Legislature meets annually on the second Monday in January in the ornate Capitol building in Olympia. In odd-numbered years (2011) -- the budget year -- the Legislature meets for 105 days, and in even-numbered years (2012) -- the policy year -- for 60 days. If necessary, the Governor can call legislators in for a special session for a 30-day period. Legislators can call themselves into special session with a two-thirds vote of the two bodies. In the odd-numbered years, or “long sessions”, the Legislature sets a two-year budget (a biennial budget); the following, even-numbered years are used to adjust that budget according to need. This process results in a ‘supplemental budget’ as it supplements information in the first budget.

Special Session 2011:

Due to a continued budget crisis that produced an anticipated $2 billion shortfall, the Governor called the Legislature back this year for a special session. This session began on November 28th, so it can technically last until December 27th, but it is expected to be over early. The purpose is to adopt a supplemental budget to meet the revenue shortfall. The Governor has proposed her budget, and it is now the Legislature’s job to develop and adopt a final one. Given the large task and short time to accomplish it, it’s expected that the Legislature will complete not it in the special session. This will leave this work to be done during the 2012 session that begins January 9th.

Budget Proposal From the Governor:

There are several budget items that directly link to anti-hunger efforts in Washington: • Support state food banks - $1.5 million Increases funding for state food banks that serve 1.5 million clients annually. Funding will provide 4.4 million meals annually. • Eliminate State Food Assistance program - $13.9 million Halts food assistance to an estimated 11,400 individuals each month who are not eligible for federal food assistance under federal law. This includes green card holders who have lived here for five years, witnesses in domestic violence and human traficking cases, and indviduals who live here under special agreements between the U.S. and their countries of origin to work and/or receive medical treatment because of harm that U.S. actions in their home countries. • Eliminate Farmers Market Nutrition Programs for WIC and Seniors - $100,000 Ends state and federal funding for program that benefits low income mothers, young children and seniors, as well as local farm jobs.

Federal Government The Budget Process:

Each year, Congress must go through a budget and appropriations process, determining the funding for federal programs, agencies, and departments. Federal fiscal years start on October 1, so a budget must be passed by September 30 each year. If Congress fails to pass a budget by that time, they can pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to avoid a government shut down while budget talks continue.

The 2011 Federal Deficit:

Our country faces a huge deficit. This past summer, Congress debated whether we should raise our debt ceiling, the maximum amount that the U.S. is allowed to borrow money from other countries to help pay for our budget’s spending, or else risk defaulting on these loans. Defaulting on our loans would have dramatically worstened the on-going worldwide economic process. Congress was split along party lines over raising the debt ceiling. The debt ceiling crisis was resolved in August with a proposal to appoint a bipartisan committee made up of members of both the House and the Senate, to propose ways to lower our country’s deficit. This was the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or “the Super Committee” that was co-chaired by Sen. Patty Murray. The committee was charged with finding $1.3 trillion in deficit reducing options that would take place over a 10 year period. Unfortunately, the committee was split along party lines and could not come to agreement on a proposal. Under the debt ceiling agreement that created the Super Committee, there will now be automatic deep cuts to military and domestic spending, although entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare, and SNAP are left harmless from cuts. The cuts will start in 2013, and Congress has this upcoming year to determine what cuts will be made. CT! d.

nowmp,iaAon February 3r k u o y t a Now th Day in Oly nc.org

n ww.wsah r Actioin e w g t n a u e H cacy t l FC Advo Join us a Register on W e h t g joinin ore. olved bcyt us to learn m v in t e g at also onta our blog n o You can Committee. C e r o even m s & learnn.blogspot.com e t a d p u ar dcoalitio ut regul Check o www.wafoo

Washington Food Coalition P.O. Box 95752 Seattle, WA 98145-2752 206.729.0501 / phone 206.729.0504 / fax www.wafoodcoalition.org info@wafoodcoalition.org Board Members

Kris Van Gasken, Des Moines Area Food Bank WFC Chair Robert Coit, Thurston County Food Bank WFC Immediate Past Chair Helen McGovern, Emergency Food Network WFC Vice Chair Yvonne Pitrof, Vashon Maury Food Bank WFC Treasurer Nancy Wilson, Inter-Faith Treasure House WFC Secretary Roger Trapp, Resources Community Action Bob Soule, Chelan-Douglas Comm Action Center Peny Archer, Comm Services of Moses Lake Scott Kilpatrick, Comm Services of Moses Lake Connie Nelson, Spokane Valley Partners JoAnn Ruston, Hope Source Lisa Hall, Northwest Harvest John Neill, Tri-Cities Food Bank Chris Gerke, Cascade Blue Mountain Food Share Kathy Covey, Blue Mountain Action Council Wendy Gonzalez, Helpline Walla Walla Mike Cohen, Bellingham Food Bank Leanne Geiger, Volunteers of America WW Joe Gruber, University District Food Bank Kevin Glackin-Coley, St. Leo’s Food Connection Robin Rudy, Tenino Community Service Center Kellie McNelly, ROOF Community Services James Fitzgerald, Sal. Army-Stop Hunger Vicki Pettit, Coastal Community Action Program Anthony Airhart, Coastal Harvest Hoyt Burrows, Central Kitsap Food Bank Marilyn Gremse, Bainbridge Island Help House Bonnie Baker, Northwest Harvest Scott Hallett, Council on Aging & Human Services Shayne Kraemer, Meals Partnership Dorothy Palmer, Colville Confederated Tribes

Through its statewide membership, Washington Food Coalition members find practical solutions to common challenges. The Coalition draws on the strength and reach of its membership to equip, educate and empower everyone working to end hunger in our state. __________________________________________ This newsletter prepared with funds made available by the WA Dept. of Agriculture, Food Assistance Programs. No person shall on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, national origin, age, citizenship, political affiliations, belief, veteran status or sexual orientation, be denied employment or benefits or be discriminated against as a participant, administrator or staff member under this program.