Director's Note – March 2023

March is Women’s History Month! You will see Human Interests blog posts and social media posts celebrating women-led organizations who are making a difference for women in Seattle. We’re highlighting a few of our community-based partners from each division. Join us in celebrating #WomensHistoryMonth by liking and sharing those posts when you come across them.

HSD is also a proud sponsor of the City of Seattle’s annual celebration of International Women’s Day (March 8). For the fifth consecutive year, women from multiple departments across the City of Seattle are planning a diverse program filled with speakers, a panel discussion, and thought-provoking content centered around this year’s international theme, #EmbraceEquity. All City employees, regardless of gender, are invited to participate in this year’s virtual celebration.  

Community members and colleagues at our partner agencies can learn more about this annual day recognized worldwide and how you can get involved in your community, or look for events happening around Seattle, like this free, online event sponsored by The Moth and the Gates Foundation featuring powerful personal stories highlighting diverse experiences and perspectives on motherhood and the power of speaking up and speaking out.

Leadership Update

Please join me in welcoming Geri Beardsley, our new Director of Operations. As a member of the department’s Senior Leadership Team, Geri will support HSD as we work to update and centralize our policies and procedures, increase training opportunities for various positions, and strengthen our approach to quality assurance and control—all while promoting an environment of continuous improvement.

Geri most recently served as Director of Administration at Community Transit. In that role, she oversaw many of the agency’s critical business functions.

Best,

Tanya Kim

Seattle Youth Employment Program Seeks Employers Interested in Making a Difference in the Lives of Young People

The Seattle Youth Employment Program (SYEP) connects young people, ages 16 – 24, with local employers to provide hands-on work experience, skill-building opportunities, and a chance to make a positive impact in their community

We are seeking partner employers in a variety of industries, including technology, healthcare, transportation, and more. Interns are hired City employees and provided with 150 hours of paid employment and training. Supplementing wages is encouraged. Internships will run from July 5 – August 15, 2023. To get started, employers can visit forms.office.com/g/wee6sEn5D2 to submit the Employer Interest Form.

You can also attend an upcoming information session on March 14, March 28, or April 11 from 11:00 am-12:00 pm to learn more and ask questions. RSVP at tinyurl.com/ydbt8njb today! Employer on-boarding begins June 14

The Youth and Family Empowerment (YFE) Division is seeking applications to provide the Seattle Food Committee (SFC) and Meals Partnership Coalition (MPC) networks with the following services:

1. Nutritious food sourcing (formerly Bulk Buy);
2. Transportation of procured food; and
3. Network administrative support.

The goal of this RFQ is to strengthen Seattle’s coordinated food system to meet the food security and food access needs of its population through the following strategy:

Improve food security and access to nutritious and culturally relevant food for low-income households in Seattle through system-level supports and strengthening the capacity of the food bank and meal program networks.

Three years into the pandemic, inflation has increased food and gas costs, further increasing the disparities in access to income and resources for low-income families of color. In November 2022, the US Consumer Price Index noted prices for food prepared at home rose 12% and gas prices rose 10% over the previous 12 months. Responding to these impacts and disparities, SFC and MPC agencies share resources, strategies, and data collection, and generate collective actions and solutions. Both networks host monthly meetings and provide regular trainings.

HSD expects funded agencies to work closely with the networks, their Nutritious Food Sourcing (formerly Bulk Buy) subcommittees, and an estimated 28 food banks and 28 meal programs receiving services through these networks. The Nutritious Food Sourcing subcommittees facilitate the logistics of nutritious food ordering for its network partners.

Applications are due by April 11. For more information, and all RFQ materials, please visit HSD’s Funding Opportunities page: http://www.seattle.gov/humanservices/funding-and-reports/funding-opportunities.

At HSD we are committed to improving the quality of life for older adults in our community which is why we’re excited to announce four funding opportunities for agencies that share are passionate about supporting older adults in maintaining their independence and aging in place, while focusing on nutritious meals and culturally relevant food options.

HSD’s Aging and Disability Services (ADS) Division serves as the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) for Seattle-King County and administers federal Older Americans Act (OAA) funds in partnership with local community organizations. The purpose of OAA-funded nutrition programs is to reduce hunger and food insecurity, encourage socialization of older individuals, promote health and well-being, and delay adverse health conditions.

To address this, HSD is proudly offering these four funding opportunities:

1) The 2023 Congregate Meals for Older Adults RFQ aims to fund agencies that provide a place where older adults receive a nutritionally balanced meal, socialize with their peers, receive information, and participate in activities to promote overall health and wellbeing. We have approximately $3,295,179 available through federal and local funds. We plan to fund up to 15 Congregate Meals proposals located throughout King County.

2) The Home-Delivered Meals Program RFQ focuses on providing nutritious meals to older adults who cannot leave their homes unassisted, cannot prepare meals for themselves, and lack a social support system to help them. Delivery of meals enables them to live independently. Meal drivers may be the sole social contact for meal recipients and may also report safety or unhealthy environmental concerns back to agencies who can then address issues. We have approximately $2,394,870 available through federal, state, and local funds. We plan to fund up to three proposals for Home-Delivered Meals. Applicants must provide meals throughout King County.

3) Multicultural Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) Services RFP focuses on delivering technical assistance and support to congregate meal sites that serve older adults with unique cultural and linguistic needs. As nutrition experts, RDNs play a critical role by providing nutrition and food safety guidance to promote health, reduce risk, and manage diseases to improve and/or maintain health, independence, and quality of life. They can also help programs to develop menus and address language and cultural barriers. We have $160,000 available through federal and local funds, and we plan to fund one proposal that demonstrates the ability to work with diverse communities in Seattle and King County.

4) The 2023 Culturally Nourishing Foods for Older Adults RFP encourages agencies to invest in food and meals, food access, and social engagement for older adults. We have $630,430 available through local funds, and we plan to fund no more than 10 new contracts. Interested applicants are limited to one (1) proposal that addresses one or more of the following strategies:

• Food and meals – culturally nourishing groceries or meals that cannot be funded through other sources
• Food access – transportation to culturally nourishing food activities
• Social engagement – activities that promote older people connecting to each other and that center on culturally nourishing food (e.g., nutrition education, cooking classes, farm field trips, cultural celebrations, etc.)

Applications are due by April 12. For more information, and all RFQ/RFP materials, please visit HSD’s Funding Opportunities page: http://www.seattle.gov/humanservices/funding-and-reports/funding-opportunities.