Northwest Harvest and Safeway and Albertsons stores unveiled a partnership to collect non-perishable food and donations for local food banks in response to the increased demand created by the recent government shutdown.
The statewide food drive kicked off Saturday at the West Seattle Safeway at 2622 California Ave SW from 12-4pm. Northwest Harvest said it raised the equivalent of 2000 meals in food and funds.
The recent government shutdown has left furloughed federal employees, contractors, and other business owners and employees without paychecks. Many have been forced to skip meals, miss mortgage payments, or default on medical bills or student loans.
Sheba Thone's husband works for the Coast Guard and she was ecstatic to see some of her favorite players, Doug Baldwin and Richard Sherman, support the food drive.
"It's been really hard, just you know, trying to decide are we going to buy food or are we going to pay rent. How are we going to divide this money?" said Thone.
In addition to all those going without their regular income, 1 in 8 Washingtonians who currently count on SNAP to buy nutritious food are facing an uncertain future. It is unclear whether they will receive assistance in March should the government shut down again after the temporary re-opening.
“Right now, more than a million people in our state are being negatively impacted,” said Sara Osborne, Safeway’s Public & Government Affairs Director. “Because of this, local food banks – the final safety net when public assistance programs run out of funding – are seeing dramatic increases in demand.”
“That’s why this partnership between Northwest Harvest and Safeway is so vital,” said Thomas Reynolds, Northwest Harvest’s CEO. “Together, we have the ability to make a huge difference in our community by coming together and helping our neighbors keep food on their tables during this very difficult time.”
Those who wish to donate can visit any Safeway or Albertsons store to drop off non-perishable food directly into the Northwest Harvest bins or go directly to northwestharvest.org to contribute funds to help those at imminent risk due to missing their paychecks or supplemental benefits. All food collected will be distributed from the grocery stores directly to that community’s local food bank or food pantry. For more information, visit northwestharvest.org.
