EastWest Food Rescue: Reflecting on two successful years of working with farmers to feed Washingtonians experiencing food insecurity

It was April 2020 when EastWest Food Rescue main founder George Ahearn learned that onion and potato farmers in his hometown of Othello, Wash. were struggling to sell their crops because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Worried that the produce would go to waste while thousands of Washingtonians struggled to put food on the table, George posted on Facebook looking for folks to support him in diverting food from going to waste to people who were experiencing food insecurity.

Community members and co-founders, Nancy Balin and Zsofia Pasztor from Farmer Frog, a farm based in Woodinville, answered his call to action. Within two weeks, they rallied community members to caravan from the Puget Sound region to Eastern Washington to pick up several tons of potatoes and onions.  The produce was brought to Farmer Frog farm in Woodinville where it was packed and made available to community members and local food relief organizations to pick up.  

Click to read more about how EastWest Food Rescue partnered with farmers to address food insecurity.

NorthWest Share: A new approach to increasing access to free vegetarian meals

Nearly one-third of households in Washington reported they were food insecure in 2021, according to the Washington State Food Security Survey. Hunger relief organization such as NorthWest Share work to address this ongoing issue.

Harry Terhanian, founder of NorthWest Share, recently sat down with the Local Food Initiative team to discuss how food trucks serving free meals came about, and the importance of providing free vegetarian meals via food trucks.

Read more about NorthWest Share vegetarian food truck and the story behind it.

Save the date for our annual CHOMP event! Aug. 20 at Marymoor Park.

Drive-By Truckers will be the headliners for this year’s CHOMP!, King County’s daylong celebration of local food, live music, and green living workshops and other free activities when the event returns Aug. 20 to Marymoor Park.

This year's music lineup: Drive-By Truckers, The Not-Its!, Sundae + Mr. Goessl, Brett Benton, Tekla Waterfield with Fielder, and Maya Marie.

Activities will start at 10 a.m. and will include a farmers market, food vendors, tree climbing, animals from Dandelion Fuzzies Minifarm in Carnation, a scavenger hunt, and Wilderness Awareness School. 

Bring an old t-shirt or tote and leave with a repurposed CHOMP! souvenir with on-site screen printing. Bring clothing items that need small alternations – a missing button or needing a new zipper or a patch – to the Fix-It Fair.

Learn more about the event here!

Farmer-to-farmer educational opportunity

This year Farm Walks is re-launching their in-person guided tours at organic, sustainable, and innovative farm and food businesses throughout Washington. Beginning and experienced farmers are encouraged to join and have the opportunity to gain education, advice, and mentorship from farmers and food systems professionals.

Click to learn more about in-person Farm Walks and the 2022 schedule.

Farmers Market in full swing!

Looking for a way to freshen up your meal? How about a fun summer activity? Need help planning when or where to go? Below is a list of all the farmers markets in King County that you can visit this summer.

Farmers Markets are a great opportunity to access fresh locally grown food while having fun.  

Did you know…

• there are 39 farmers markets across King County? From Federal Way to Redmond, Shoreline to Enumclaw, and North Bend to Vashon, we’ve got you covered!
• that 34 King County farmers markets take Farmers Market Nutrition Program checks, and 30 take SNAP/EBT? These programs ensure those experiencing food insecurity have access to high-quality, nutritious foods.
• in 2019, with 36 King County farmers markets reporting, there were a total of 2,264,580 shopper visits
• market sales contributed over $85 million to our local economy between 2017-2019?
• you can buy vegetables, fruit, eggs, dairy, meat and flowers at King County farmers markets?

If you haven’t already, add a farmers market near you to your summer routine for the freshest produce possible.

Find a local farmers market to visit here.

Thanks for reading! The Local Food Initiative team shares articles, exclusive interviews, and project updates that tell the story of how we are building a stronger, more resilient local food system. We're happy you've chosen to support local food and learn more about what the Local Food Initiative does here in King County. If you have any questions, check out our website!

If you have a relevant local food news story or article you would like us to share, please email us at ggonzalezzapata@kingcounty.gov.

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Cheers, Local Food Initiative team