Northwest Harvest
Encyclopedia
[Northwest Harvest] is a non-profit organization supporting food bank
s in Washington State, U.S.A. Founded with a somewhat broader agenda of "respond[ing] to pressing social needs" by five church denominations in Seattle, Washington
in 1967 as Ecumenical Metropolitan Ministry, as of 2006 the organization distributes over 18 million pounds of food to programs in 37 of the state's 39 counties.
Shortly after the organization was founded, Boeing
began the severe cutbacks that dropped aerospace
employment in the Seattle area from 98,000 in December 1968 to 29,800 in June 1971; unemployment in the area rose from 2.9% to 13.1%. The Ecumenical Metropolitan Ministry partnered with two other organizations to organize a food bank system, originally known as Neighbors in Need. In October 1970, they opened 34 food banks, originally conceived as "a short-term immediate response to the immediate crisis".
Even as the area recovered from its employment crisis, widespread need for food assistance remained. By early 1972, the network found itself serving 70,000 people a month. The Reagan
administration's 1982 cuts to federal food stamp programs exacerbated this need, and led to further expansion of the food bank system.
In 1980, Northwest Harvest handled just over 1 million pounds of food, distributed in five counties. In 1986, they handled over 9 million pounds of food, distributed in 22 counties. In 2006, they handled over 18 million pounds of food, distributed in 37 of the state's 39 counties. Approximately 25% of this food is purchased staples
(rice
, bean
s, pasta
, canned tomatoes, canned fruit
, and various forms of protein
); the rest comes from in-kind donations, mostly from businesses and institutions. The small percentage that comes from food drives "provides… variety… [and] helps break the monotony of the staple food items".
A warehousing system allows Northwest Harvest to handle fresh foods, vegetables, and even meat. They operate their own distribution centers in Yakima
, King County
, and Stevens County; they partner with a distributor in Grays Harbor to serve Pacific, Lewis
, and Wahkiakum counties, and with the Emergency Food Network of Tacoma to serve Pierce
, Kitsap
, and Thurston counties. These various organization often support one another with staff and transportation services and to combine their buying power.
Food bank
A food bank or foodbank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes mostly donated food to a wide variety of agencies that in turn feed the hungry. The largest sources of food are for-profit growers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers who in the normal course of business have...
s in Washington State, U.S.A. Founded with a somewhat broader agenda of "respond[ing] to pressing social needs" by five church denominations in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
in 1967 as Ecumenical Metropolitan Ministry, as of 2006 the organization distributes over 18 million pounds of food to programs in 37 of the state's 39 counties.
Shortly after the organization was founded, Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
began the severe cutbacks that dropped aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
employment in the Seattle area from 98,000 in December 1968 to 29,800 in June 1971; unemployment in the area rose from 2.9% to 13.1%. The Ecumenical Metropolitan Ministry partnered with two other organizations to organize a food bank system, originally known as Neighbors in Need. In October 1970, they opened 34 food banks, originally conceived as "a short-term immediate response to the immediate crisis".
Even as the area recovered from its employment crisis, widespread need for food assistance remained. By early 1972, the network found itself serving 70,000 people a month. The Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
administration's 1982 cuts to federal food stamp programs exacerbated this need, and led to further expansion of the food bank system.
In 1980, Northwest Harvest handled just over 1 million pounds of food, distributed in five counties. In 1986, they handled over 9 million pounds of food, distributed in 22 counties. In 2006, they handled over 18 million pounds of food, distributed in 37 of the state's 39 counties. Approximately 25% of this food is purchased staples
Staple food
A staple food is one that is eaten regularly and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a diet, and that supplies a high proportion of energy and nutrient needs. Most people live on a diet based on one or more staples...
(rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, bean
Bean
Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed....
s, pasta
Pasta
Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, now of worldwide renown. It takes the form of unleavened dough, made in Italy, mostly of durum wheat , water and sometimes eggs. Pasta comes in a variety of different shapes that serve for both decoration and to act as a carrier for the...
, canned tomatoes, canned fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
, and various forms of protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
); the rest comes from in-kind donations, mostly from businesses and institutions. The small percentage that comes from food drives "provides… variety… [and] helps break the monotony of the staple food items".
A warehousing system allows Northwest Harvest to handle fresh foods, vegetables, and even meat. They operate their own distribution centers in Yakima
Yakima County, Washington
Yakima County is the second largest county by area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Yakama tribe of Native Americans. In the 2010 census, its population was 243,231...
, King County
King County, Washington
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....
, and Stevens County; they partner with a distributor in Grays Harbor to serve Pacific, Lewis
Lewis County, Washington
Lewis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of 2010, the population was 75,455. The county seat is at Chehalis, and its largest city is Centralia....
, and Wahkiakum counties, and with the Emergency Food Network of Tacoma to serve Pierce
Pierce County, Washington
right|thumb|[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] - Seat of Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of Washington. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory...
, Kitsap
Kitsap County, Washington
Kitsap County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington, named after Chief Kitsap of the Suquamish tribe. As of 2011 state estimate, its population was 253,900. Its county seat is at Port Orchard, and its largest city is Bremerton....
, and Thurston counties. These various organization often support one another with staff and transportation services and to combine their buying power.