F
ood for Thought
Washington Food Coalition newsletter / Spring 2021
WaFoodCoalition.org
No one in Washington State should go hungry
Message from WFC Board Chair
The more things change, the more they remain the same. While we look at all that has changed in our lives during the past year, we still find ourselves feeding and caring for those in our communities who are need. If anything, poverty, and hunger have been exacerbated by these changes. But we continue to feed individuals and families during this, the new Covid-19 normal. Kids are out of school, gyms, shops, motels, and restaurants are closed or operating with far fewer customers. Food banks and pantries continue their efforts, finding new approaches to the distribution of food. Not only is it essential we feed our communities, but it is also essential that we do it safely and that no one be put at risk. Yes, the world seems to have turned upside down, but the safety-net provided by you and your colleagues is there to help those in need – like it always is, like it always will be. You, my friends, are the heroes of this ever-changing drama. Your steadfast commitment to those you serve is a testament to the importance of the work you do. While the world continues to change around us, you continue to do the work that needs to be done. Thank you – you and your work are greatly appreciated. Lean Brauner Board Chair
GiveBIG! May 4 - 5, 2021 The Need to Give is Bigger than Ever. GiveBIG was started by the Seattle Foundation in 2011 and transferred to 501 Commons in 2018. Since it is inception, GiveBIG has raised $144 million for nonprofits. During the GiveBIG statewide fundraising campaign, individuals and organizations come together across Washington to invest in our community. When we give, we take a proactive step towards creating the society we want to live in. Every spring, the excitement for GiveBIG builds through grassroots-based word-of-mouth, social media, an extensive multimedia promotional campaign, and local celebrities and sports teams firing up the community to show their generosity. This year’s GiveBIG campaign kicks off April 20 and culminates with 48 hour giving event on May 4-5! In 2020, 91,618 donations were made to 1,635 nonprofits. These donations combined with donor-advised funds, matching donations from individuals and companies, and in-kind contributions from local media companies totaled $19.2 million!
Registra tion is open!
How can I participate in the campaign?
• Nonprofits: Register for GiveBIG to access the platform, trainings, and the resources you need to make your campaign a success. Learn more about fundraising on Washington Gives. • Individuals: Besides donating to a nonprofit you already support, there are many ways to not only give but spread the word! Ways to give. • New organizations: apply now for Washington Gives 2021. • Returning organizations: it’s time to register for 2021. Just login here!
https://www.givebigwa.org/wagivesfund Our Mission: The Washington Food Coalition actively educates and networks with organizations that strive to alleviate hunger throughout Washington
Our Vision: The Washington Food Coalition is the unified voice for a strong emergency food system
WFC Board Restructuring
WSDA Message March 18, 2021 As we surpass the one-year mark of the Governor’s declaration of a State of Emergency due to COVID-19, we continue to appreciate the dedication, fortitude, and resilience of hunger relief organizations across Washington. Due to the continued hard work of our partners, Washingtonians have had consistent access to food during a time of economic instability. We have seen many organizations engage in creative new efforts to improve the availability of fresh, local, nutrient dense foods to their clients by investing in infrastructure and developing new community partnerships. We hope many of these strategies continue into our future work. We do recognize that the emergency food system continues to be stretched thin, and our top priority is identifying and securing the resources that are most needed. Just this month, a State Supplemental Budget was released that provided funding for a targeted COVID-19 response. Specific to WSDA Food Assistance, this includes:
• SFY 2021 EFAP and EFAP Tribal Increase of $2 million allocated statewide
• SFY 2021 Capacity and Flexible Grants for $3 million, available to WSDA Food Assistance Program contractors and subcontractors through an application process • Additional funds for Fresh and Shelf Stable Food Purchases to allow continued access to WSDA Emergency Food Boxes statewide
• Additional funds for PPE and Distribution Supplies for hunger relief organizations
Additionally, USDA provided TEFAP funding increases as a result of the previous Federal Stimulus Bills; FFCRA and the CARES Act. This resulted in an additional $2.6 million of federal operational funding across the state. This increase also came with more than $6 million in additional USDA commodities. As of mid-March, all WSDA Contractors have been notified of increased funding being allocated to them. Contract amendments are being finalized and executed, and spending to support critical needs of hunger relief organizations at many levels of the system has begun. Many organizations have been working at maximum capacity for the duration of the pandemic, and this latest round of funding offers much needed resources to reduce the strain on agencies for the time being. Looking ahead over the next few months, organizations across the state will be participating in EFAP Biennial Meetings to determine funding priorities for their county or multi-county region in the next Biennium. We continue to hope that the EFAP Biennial Budget increase currently proposed in the State’s Budget is approved by the State Legislature. We will most likely know by late-Spring how much funding the program will have available on an ongoing basis. So far, the increased funding to Food Assistance has exclusively been on a short-term basis. We know from the last economic recession in 2008, that the impacts of a downturn like this will be seen in the hunger relief network for many years to come. WSDA is doing all that it can to ensure that our Food Assistance partner agencies are prepared to endure the upcoming challenges with the resources needed. Amidst all of this, WSDA continues to work with the Food Assistance Advisory Committee to reduce client barriers to accessing food. The work most recently has centered around honing documentation requirements and intake processes. Our next priority is reviewing data collection, with an eye towards further reducing client access barriers and effectiveness of current practices.
With appreciation for all you do,
Kim Eads
WSDA Food Assistance Program Manager
In 2018, the Washington Food Coalition conducted a strategic planning process. One outcome was renewed urgency around considering the efficacy of WFC’s Board of Directors. After much reflection and conversation, it was decided that WFC’s board had potential for improvement. In particular, there was room for growth regarding board member engagement, diversity, district representation, and fund development capacity. Accordingly, WFC partnered with the Congressional Hunger Center to receive a Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow to work specifically on this topic. In September 2020, Xavier Roberts joined WFC and began conducting research on nonprofit board structures and interviews with WFC stakeholders. In December, he finalized a proposal on how to restructure WFC’s Board of Directors and workshopped his ideas with WFC’s Executive Committee. Last month, WFC’s Board of Directors voted affirmatively to move forward with the restructuring proposal. Xavier’s full report can be read on the Congressional Hunger Center’s website (https://hungercenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Representation-Diversity-Grassroots-Advocacy_ Xavier-Roberts_WFC.pdf). Below is an overview of Xavier’s proposal. Currently, we have formed a Temporary Transition Committee to execute the first steps of the restructuring process and make changes to Xavier’s plan, as needed.
Proposal Overview: WFC will bifurcate the Board of Directors into a new Board of Directors (BOD 2.0) and a Board of Advisors (BOA). The BOA will look similar to the current representative structure that the board holds. BOA members will focus on emissary duties, outreach, and information sharing in their districts. The BOD 2.0 will look like a slightly more traditional Board of Directors. It will be composed of five executive members, five at-large members, and three-five nominees from the BOA. The BOA nominees enable the board to maintain the representational quality that makes WFC unique. There are also suggestions to modify WFC’s committees. The Conference Committee would stand apart from the Fund Development Committee so that the former can be more focused, and the latter can be more active. WFC’s Board Development Committee will also receive a renewed focus as a critically important committee that determines WFC’s board composition. This committee will play the most important role in determining the success of the board’s transition over the next couple of years. Elections in the BOA will look like they currently do for district representatives. However, BOD 2.0 will elect its executive and at-large members through a more traditional nomination and selection process. There are tools and suggestions about how to populate BOD 2.0 in a manner that promotes diversity and racial equity. Hopefully, as the BOA increases its outreach and engagement, smaller, traditionally underrepresented food banks and pantries will come into the fold and create a more diverse pool of candidates for BOA membership. There are also phases with specific next steps and estimated time needed for how to get from the current board structure to the BOD 2.0 & BOA structure. In addition to this long-term proposal, there are some short-term recommendations, including implementing term limits and activating the current Board and Membership Development Committee. The main idea behind this restructuring is that, by allowing the BOD 2.0 and BOA to be more focused on their respective duties, both become more impactful, engaged, and effective. The end result being a BOA that enables WFC to be a powerful force for grassroots advocacy, networking, and information sharing, and a BOD 2.0 that strengthens WFC’s strategy and organizational development. The Transition Committee has been formed and is positioned to begin Phase One of the WFC restructuring plan. Heading the committee will be Dan Lancaster as chair and Andra Smith as vice-chair. The committee is composed of Chris Benson, Ahndrea Blue, Cecilia Chavez, Alan Hamilton, Bob Mark, Jeff Mathias, Kellie McNelly, and Kris van Gasken.
Board Members WFC Chair
Leon Brauner
Ocean Shores Food Bank
WFC Vice Chair
Andra Smith
sequim Food Bank
WFC Immediate Past Chair
Feeding Washington? Feeding the Northwest? Who or what is that?!
Ken Trainor
Sunrise Outreach Center
WFC Secretary Ariel Medeiross
LaDow Food Pantry
WFC Treasurer
Jennifer Hardison
South Kitsap Helpline
Anita Sailor
Rural Resources Community Action
Taine Shoemaker
Colville Food & Resources Center
Bob Mark
Upper Valley MEND
Scott Kilpatrick
Community Services of Moses Lake
Ariel Medeiross
LaDow Food Pantry
Debbie Niehenke
Colton/Uniontown Food Pantry
Cecilia Chavez
Toppenish Community Chest
VJ Meadows
Tri-Cities Food Bank
Jeff Mathias
Blue Mountain Action Council
Chris Hattch
VOA Western WA
Kathy Moe
Stanwood/Camano Food Bank
Dan Lancaster
Multi-Services Center
Cori Walters
Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank
Ahndrea Blue
Eloise Cooking Pot
Michelle Douglas
Emergency Food Network (EFN)
Kellie McNelly
ROOF Community Services
Robert Coit
Thurston County Food Bank
Alan Hamilton
Clark County Food Bank
Liz Cerveny
North County Community Food Bank
Leon Brauner
Ocean Shores Food Bank
Andra Smith
Sequim Food Bank
Chris Benson
Central Kitsap Helpline
At-Large Members Kris Van Gasken
Des Moines Area Food Bank
Let us (re)introduce ourselves. Feeding Washington started as a collaboration between Second Harvest and Food Lifeline focused on helping solving hunger in Washington State. Started 10 years ago to focus on areas where a statewide approach would be more effective than either organization going alone or in parallel, we find ourselves entering the next chapter in our organization’s history. The first initiative that Feeding Washington developed was working with agriculture growers, packers and shippers to secure more fresh produce and get it to hungry families and seniors. This led to millions of pounds of apples, potatoes, onions, pears and other produce making its way to local food banks through Second Harvest and Food Lifeline. In 2018, this effort became Feeding the Northwest, continued to be led by Rod Wieber, expanding to work across the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Last year, Feeding the Northwest sourced over 7.5 million pounds of fresh produce that was sent to food banks across Washington state in continued collaboration with Food Lifeline and Second Harvest. In addition to working with agricultural groups in the Northwest, Feeding the Northwest also brings in millions of pounds of produce from California, Arizona and Texas to add additional variety for food banks to offer to those coming to their doors. With Feeding the Northwest firmly established, this created an opportunity for Feeding Washington to focus on new initiatives. To lead this effort, a new Executive Director was hired, David Uhl. David started in February, coming from Recovery Café in Seattle where he spent the last 8 years (a Food Lifeline and NW Harvest partner in providing meals). He first led their fundraising efforts, helping double Recovery Café’s budget. What helped prepare him for new role was launching and leading the Recovery Café Network, Recovery Café’s scaling strategy, for over four years. He worked with organizations across North America to implement the Recovery Café model. When he started at Feeding Washington, there were 23 Recovery Cafés across the nation and in Vancouver, BC. What is Feeding Washington focusing on in this new chapter? Feeding Washington is working to build a centralized table where distributors can come together as active allies in support of each other and our shared mission. At this table we’ll work collaboratively to develop projects and programs that benefit our system as a whole, and we’ll create partnerships that help us avoid silos and competition for resources. We believe that collaboration at the distribution center level is imperative to be effective partners to each other, and to best serve local agencies and people facing hunger. More concretely, we are initially focusing on three initiatives: • We are working with local agencies to adopt a common database, Link2Feed. We believe that solving hunger needs good shared data. • We are working to address pinch points in the distribution system in every corner of our state. • We are working with the many great advocates across our state to support increased funding, updating policies, and addressing inequities. Feeding the Northwest and Feeding Washington are proud of our first 10 years. We are excited to collaborate to develop new projects and programs that benefit our local partners and those seeking assistance. Together we can solve hunger in our state. Feedingwashington.org
This newsletter is prepared with funds made available by the Washington State Department of Agriculture, Food Assistance programs. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age.