How to help those who are hungry during the Holidays and every day

Mary Beth Harrington, CVA

I suspect food may be on your mind this week so there is no better time than to tell you about a way that you can help those in our community who may be hungry.  

Home Team Harvest 

For the 22nd year, King 5 News is sponsoring Home Team Harvest, Washington State’s largest annual food drive. According to King5, all funds and donations go to Northwest Harvest, the state’s largest hunger relief agency which then distributes food to every county in Washington including our own Thurston County Food Bank (TCFB). TCFB is just one of 400 food banks, meal programs, and schools that are participating. Since 2001, Home Team Harvest has raised more than 100 million meals. Last year they were able to raise 21 million meals and this year they are increasing their goal to raise 23 million meals.  

Our Local Food Bank  

In 2022, TCFB celebrated its 50th anniversary. While it may not surprise you to learn that the mission of the Food Bank is to eliminate hunger within our community, in the spirit of neighbor helping neighbor, you may not realize that you do not have to be destitute to utilize the Food Bank’s services.  

During a tour of the food bank, I learned that “the point of the Food Bank is to be a resource in the community whenever you need it whether that is short-term or long-term,” said Michaela one of the tour guides. “We don’t want folks thinking because they have a job, a house, and a car that they are not eligible for our services. Lots of people live paycheck to paycheck and may not have enough food at the end of the month”. I also learned some surprising facts:  

• Last year the Food Bank distributed almost 5 million pounds of food, of that almost 2 million pounds was ‘rescued’ (that is, food that otherwise would have been sent to a landfill) serving 62,000 of our neighbors. That may seem like a lot of cans of green beans but, due to their partnership with area grocery stores as well as Northwest Harvest, the Food Bank is able to offer our neighbors fresh produce, meat, poultry, and even an occasional chocolate truffle from Trader Joe’s 
• In addition to the warehouse, the Food Bank operates two food pantries, 17 satellites, and 15 mobiles. 

Why Participate in Home Team Harvest? 

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, an estimated one in 12 households face food insecurity in Washington State.  

Households with children, Black, Indigenous, and people of color households and households who identify as transgender, nonbinary, or other reach the highest levels of food insecurity.  

Every donation provides nutritious food to children, seniors, veterans, and families throughout Washington and ensures Northwest Harvest can work with our local TCFB and other communities to address systemic root causes of hunger. 

Skip the Canned Green Beans and Donate “Green” 

I have worked with food banks for several years and one thing that I know for sure is that food banks can do more with a monetary donation than a food donation. Here are four reasons why donating money over food helps more families in need according to Feeding America:  

• Donated dollars mean more meals - Rather than paying retail prices, food banks work with major manufacturers, retailers, and farmers to secure healthy food. This means that when you donate a dollar, you’re able to put more meals on the tables of families than if you donated food you'd purchased at the store. Also, food banks use donated funds to help cover the cost of picking up the food from donors and bringing it to their warehouses. 
• Donated dollars build healthier communities - Canned and dry food items are vital to food banks and pantries—but no one can live healthy lives on non-perishable items alone. Providing communities with meals is also about providing healthy food therefore food banks use donated dollars to stock fresh fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and lean proteins which can’t be directly donated through food drives. 
• Donated dollars combat food waste - Over 119 billion pounds of perfectly good food is wasted every year. By working directly with farmers, food banks help ensure that healthy fruits and vegetables that don’t make it to the grocery store end up on the plates of families in need instead of a landfill.  
• Not all food banks have the capacity for large food donations - Before beginning to collect food donations check with TCFB and they can help you understand what food is needed most. 

How To Donate to Home Team Harvest 

Home Team Harvest continues until Sunday, December 31st and there are several ways for you to participate: 

• Donate online directly to Northwest Harvest website l 
• Donate $5, $10, or $12 towards grocery cards when you are buying your groceries at our local Safeway or Albertsons. Those grocery cards will be distributed to all those partner agencies including Thurston County Food Bank. According to Home Team Harvest grocery cards give clients the flexibility to visit their local Safeway or Albertsons and purchase the items that are most needed for their family.  
• In-person donations will also be accepted at Lumen Field on Saturday, December 2 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. I won’t make any promises but this is called Home Team Harvest so I expect there may be some special guests in attendance. You can also tune into King 5 on December 2 at 10:00 am for a one-hour broadcast special to see how your support for Home Team Harvest helps change lives in our community. 

Volunteer Opportunities 

• In 2018 the City of Tumwater worked with volunteers to create a Street Tree inventory, part of our Urban Forestry Management Plan. Now, in 2023, the city is seeking volunteers between now and Friday, December 15th to help update and improve the Street Tree Inventory data. All that is required is as little as a half-hour of your time, a walk (or roll) outside, and the use of a smartphone. This opportunity is available to all and can be done whenever it works with your schedule. No tree expertise is required, and City staff are available to help. For more details contact Alyssa Jones Wood, LEED Green Associate & NWF Habitat Steward for the City of Tumwater at (360) 754-4140 or email ajoneswood@ci.tumwater.wa.us  
   
• The City of Olympia is inviting volunteers to join them for one of their upcoming Volunteer Work Parties. Click here for a complete list of all the park participants and the dates. 

 Are you looking to make a difference with volunteering? Do you live near Watershed Park? You can join some amazing Park Steward volunteers who lead weekly work parties removing English ivy and other harmful plants every Monday. Contact ParkStewardship@ci.olympia.wa.us or 360.753.8365 for details and to sign up. 

Soliciting your ideas 

If you know of a nonprofit that is doing something great, celebrating a success, needs some outstanding volunteers, or hosting an event, let me know! This column (aside from a little education) celebrates nonprofits! 

Mary Beth Harrington, CVA (Certified Volunteer Administrator) lives in Tumwater. She travels the country speaking at conferences and to individual organizations articulating issues facing nonprofits. Send your ideas to her at MaryBeth@theJOLTnews.com