Success By 6 Food Drive Challenge Benefits 2nd Harvest and North - Spokane, North Idaho News & Weather KHQ.com

Success By 6 Food Drive Challenge Benefits 2nd Harvest and Northwest Harvest

The Success By 6 Food Drive Challenge benefits two hunger relief agencies in our area: 2^nd Harvest Food Bank and Northwest Harvest. Want to know more?  Here are some facts about both food banks: 

Northwest  Harvest Fact Sheet:

1.       Northwest Harvest is Washington State's only statewide hunger relief agency.

2.       Northwest Harvest provides food into over 325 Food Banks and Meal Programs throughout the state of WA.

3.       Northwest Harvest provides approx. 1.6 million meals  every month.

4.       Highly nutritious fruits and vegetables consistently make up 2/3 of the food we distribute.

5.       1 in 6 people in Spokane County are dealing with hunger.

6.       Northwest Harvest provides food into 19 food banks and meal programs in and around Spokane.

7.       Northwest Harvest is serving roughly 13,000 people each month in the Spokane area.

8.       Northwest Harvest has been providing food in for the past 8 years.

9.       67 Cents can feed a family of 3 one nutritious meal!

a.      Sample Menu #1:

• 2lbs boneless salmon patties (donated)
• 2lbs potatoes (8 cents)
• 2lbs apples (4 cents)
• 1 can mixed fruit (17 cents)
• 1 lb cucumber (5 cents)
• 1 can tomatoes (25 cents)

b.       Sample Menu #2

• 1 lb ground turkey (40 cents)
• 2 lbs potatoes (8 cents)
• 1 lb onion (8 cents)
• 3lbs Apples (6 cents)
• 1 lb cucumbers (5 cents)
• 2lbs frozen corn (donated)
• 2 loaves bread (donated)

2^nd Harvest Food Bank Fact Sheet

 More than 15,000 people are helped by Second Harvest's core network of 20 emergency food outlets in Spokane County every month. Two out of five of these people are children.

 According to a recent comprehensive study by Feeding America, "Map the Meal Gap," one out of every four children in Spokane County is hungry or at risk of hunger. Of those Spokane kids facing food shortages at home, 37 percent likely are ineligible for federal nutrition programs because their household income falls above the required poverty threshold.

Almost 47 percent of schoolchildren (elementary through high school) throughout Spokane County receive free and reduced-price school meals.

Of the 34 elementary schools in the local Spokane Public Schools district, 23 have more than 50 percent of students qualifying for government-subsidized meals, 12 have more than 70 percent and 10 have more than 80 percent.

Second Harvest's Kids Cafe program provides healthy snacks and nutrition education to about 600 disadvantaged children and teenagers a week participating in child care, tutoring and other programs offered at 13 different sites operated by Boys and Girls Clubs of Spokane County, Spokane Valley YMCA, West Central Community Center, Cheney Middle School and the Northeast Youth Center.

Second Harvest's School Pantry program, launched last fall, currently reduces weekend hunger among 600 students attending Rogers High and Shaw Middle schools. The School Pantry provides a monthly food box with a nutritious mix of 15 to 20 pounds of food for snacks and meals.

If you want to help the hungry in our community, please donate to the Success By 6 Food Drive Challenge on Saturday, April 28^th.