Feed Pierce County

By E. Desiree Richards

Hunger in Washington

This is definitely not a new subject, but I believe it is a very important one. While the world around us is going hungry, our neighbors are also suffering. They are struggling to feed their children and be able to pay the bills at home. Just as recent as 2011 “15.4 percent of Washington households reported some level of food insecurity, which means they regularly struggle to get enough food for their families, according to the USDA” (., n.d.).

Who is hungry?• Our children

• The working poor• Seniors• Homeless

How can we help?

We can donate.We can ‘Walk for

hunger’.We can volunteer.

We can be informed.We can share

resources.

Resources for Help• A list of foodbanks given by Pierce County Washington:

https://www.co.pierce.wa.us/index.aspx?NID=454 • Pierce County Resource Guide: https://www.co.pierce.wa.us/DocumentCenter/View/596 • South Sound 211for foodbanks:

https://www.resourcehouse.info/win211/Search/Topics/BD-1800.2000/Food_Pantries • South Sound 211 for hot meals:

https://www.resourcehouse.info/win211/Search/Topics/BD-5000/Meals • WIC (women infants and children) on 211:

https://www.resourcehouse.info/win211/Search/Topics/NL-6000.9500/WIC • http://www.efoodnet.org/resources/food-banks/ • Any local church should also be able to give you a list of resources as well, and some even have

their own foodbank with hours posted.

Resources to HelpTo Donate and/or Volunteer• http://win211.org/ • http://www.uwpc.org/basic-

food-assistance

• http://www.fishfoodbanks.org/

• http://www.efoodnet.org/

To Get Involved• https://associatedministrie

s.org/hungerwalk-2016-resources/

• http://www.fishfoodbanks.org/

• http://foodconnection.org/

What You Can DoMake sure that when your kids are donating to the food drive

at school that you give what you can. When the local church or community is having a food drive, donate what you can. Every little bit helps! Talk to your neighborhood watch, your neighbors, friends and community; See what YOU can do to make a small difference. When you see someone with a sign, don’t automatically assume anything about them, keep healthy snacks and water bottles in your car and when you see a person that has a hungry sign hand out those snacks! No matter what your contribution, a little kindness goes a long way to feed our community.

References

1. (n.d.). Hunger increased faster in WA than in most states. Retrieved January 27, 2017, from http://wa.nokidhungry.org/news/2012/09/hunger -increased-faster-wa-most-states2. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://foodlifeline.org/solving-hunger3. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.sott.net/image/s13/277351/full /o_POVERTY_HUNGER_facebook.jpg