WAGAP Food Bank loses supplier of fresh foods
Second Harvest halts distributions across Washington
2nd Harvest Inland Northwest in Spokane, WA. Photo Source: Google Maps
by Tammy Kaufman
Bingen, WA (December 9, 2022) - In a surprise announcement this week, WAGAP learned that effective immediately, Second Harvest is discontinuing service to food assistance programs across rural communities in Washington.
Leslie Naramore, Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) executive director, said the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) notified her of the Second Harvest decision without further explanation. She and Janeal Booren, WAGAP’s Nutrition Programs director, are scrambling to minimize the impact on their clients.
“Although this is very disappointing news, we have a tremendous network of suppliers for our WAGAP Food Bank Network, which serves people throughout Klickitat and Skamania counties,” Booren said. “The biggest impact to our clients will be access to healthy fresh foods and protein items.”
Second Harvest is a main supplier for the WAGAP Food Bank Network. WSDA reached out to Booren immediately upon learning of the decision.
Through WSDA, talks are underway with Clark County Food Bank to see if it can provide surplus items to WAGAP and act as a subcontractor to supplement fresh and frozen foods. This proposed arrangement could serve as a stop-gap measure to temporarily bridge WAGAP’s supply chain through March 2023.
“The goal is to have the least disruption possible,” Naramore said, “but the timing is terrible as we head into the holidays and winter.”
The writing may have been on the wall, according to a recent article by Treva Lind in The Spokesman-Review, published on November 13, 2022. The article noted the empty shelves at the Second Harvest warehouse in Spokane, Washington, and shared that winter’s typical high demand, coupled with rising costs and a decrease in farm yields, and food shortages are putting tremendous pressure on the nonprofit to meet its commitments.
"We have to suspend December and January distributions because we do not have enough food to give out." Eric Williams, Community Partnerships Director of Second Harvest, said in an article published by the Whitman County Gazette on December 8th.
A map shows the locations of 2nd Harvest distributes to. Photo Source: Foodfinder.org
Second Harvest supports 280 food pantries and meal sites across North Idaho and Central and Eastern Washington. The article reports a 45% increase in the number of people seeking services at the larger sites it serves between September 2021 and 2022. Inflation pressures and rising gas and diesel prices are adding to the mix as they add to the cost of transporting food.
WAGAP reports that Food Bank usage since 2019 has increased, and it saw a substantial increase after extended unemployment benefits ended. During the height of COVID-19, funding was available to organizations to purchase food to meet the increased need. But as the pandemic has subsided, so have budgets.
“Our real concern is whether families can afford to put food on the table,” Naramore said. “We are here to help, but we may need to make changes to cover the demand.”
This week, WAGAP board members discussed options with Naramore and Booren, including the possibility of downsizing the amount of food offered in each box and getting more community involvement through home gardening and gleaning. They are weighing their options but hope to keep services as intact as possible.
Winter food drives and end-of-year fundraisers have always been fundamental to the community action agency’s ability to support its programs. Still, Booren says this unexpected withdrawal from Second Harvest, the high fuel cost for transportation, and inflationary pressures make them even more essential.
“We invite the community to pull together with us in any way possible,” Naramore said. “All donations and volunteers are welcome to help us help others in need.”
For more information, go to https://wagap.org or call 509-493-2662.
WAGAP runs several food banks in the Columbia River Gorge.
