FISH Food Bank, Food Pantry, Open Table Meal Service

Our team of staff and volunteers distributed 36,352 summers meals during this year's Picnic in the Park! How did we serve so many meals this summer? This year's numbers show significant growth for several reasons. 1. We increased the number of meal sites from nine to twelve. 2. We expanded to reach underserved communities in Vantage and Thorp. 3. Rural sites received weekly meal packs which included breakfasts and lunches for seven days. 4. We distributed weekend meals to children who ate in the parks on Fridays. 5. We partnered with organizations serving children and teens including Stan Bassett Youth Center, The Shop Teen Center, Boys and Girls Clubs in Kittitas and Cle Elum, Ellensburg Dance Ensemble, Pond to Pines and Carpenter Memorial Library.  What exactly is Picnic in the Park? Picnic in the Park or PIP is part of a federally funded, state-administered program. USDA reimburses program operators who serve no-cost, healthy meals and snacks to children and teens. Meals are served at summer sites in low-income communities, where sponsors often also offer enrichment activities, or — in approved rural communities facing access issues — may be provided via grab-n-go. The program aims to ensure that children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session. SFSP connects children with the nutrition they need to help them be healthy and ready to learn when they return to school.  Thanks to our team and volunteers for feeding so many local children this summer!

How big of a deal is it for low-income parents to have access to a diaper bank? Clean diapers help prevent medical expenses – Providing diapers to families eliminates $4.3 million in medical costs due to reductions in both incidences and days of diaper rash. Clean diapers promote employment – More than half (56%) of parents using childcare to go to work have missed work because of an inadequate supply of diapers. Parents unable to access child care because of a lack of diapers missed work or school on average 4 days per month. Receiving diapers helps parents complete current educational programs. Successful completion of educational programs would increase the expected wage and salary base of all students in diaper-recipient households by $9,985 annually per graduate.* FISH is proud to help families in need with these critical supplies that improve employment, education and health outcomes. The Diaper Bank is open during regular pantry hours from 1:30-4:00 Monday-Thursday and Friday from 9-11:30. Just how many diapers does a child need?  A healthy child will require an average of 50 diaper changes a week. That’s approximately 2,600 diaper changes a year.  Diapers are expensive — a month’s supply for one child can cost between $70 and $80, and diapers cannot be purchased with SNAP benefits or WIC. As a result, parents try to make do without diapers by stretching their supply by leaving babies in dirty diapers longer or by reusing diapers. Most childcare facilities require parents to provide diapers for their child.  Nationally, 25% of parents with diaper need reported that they have missed an average of five days of work or school in the past month due to not having enough diapers to drop children off at child care. *Source:  https://lnkd.in/g2Uf7-kK

We are thrilled to have received funding to expand our Produce Rx program to Yakima and increase our qualifying conditions! Our Produce Rx program is 100% FREE and provides: 1. A box of produce every other week. The produce is typically locally grown and organic. 2. Nutrition Education and recipes. We spotlight one of the items in the box each week and offer a recipe that includes at least one of the week's produce items. 3. Opportunities for hands-on cooking and nutrition classes. There is room to enroll in Produce Rx for our next cohort, which starts in September. Clients are eligible if they use Medicaid/Apple Health AND: 1) with, or at risk for, diabetes, hypertension, overweight/obesity, gestational diabetes, high cholesterol, and/or severe osteoarthritis; 2) in medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder; 3) who are pregnant 4) who are up to 12 months postpartum Find out if you qualify now: https://lnkd.in/gYdRH5jt Produce RX is a prescription for healthy food. FISH is excited to be able to offer this innovative program to address the needs of Kittitas County and Yakima residents who face barriers to accessing healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. For more information, contact (509) 925-5990 ext. 804 or email: cecile.l@kvfish.org. #kittitascounty #YakimaCounty #yakimawashington #yakima #foodismedicine #foodislove #foodsecurity #socialdeterminatesofhealth #nutritioneducation #foodbank #foodpantry This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                          FISH’s FOOD PANTRIES WORKING WITH AMPLEHARVEST.ORG AND LOCAL GARDENERS TO REDUCE HUNGER AND FOOD WASTE IN CENTRAL WASHINGTON Ellensburg, Washington - July 26, 2024 FISH Community Food Pantries are pleased to announce a partnership with AmpleHarvest.org – a nationwide network working to end hunger and fresh food waste by enabling food pantries to connect with local backyard/community gardeners who will share their surplus garden bounty with their neighbors in need. One out of six American families rely on food pantries to help feed themselves and their families. It is often a challenge for pantries to keep up with the demand and especially difficult to offer fresh produce. At the same time, tens of millions of gardeners across America often find that their gardens provide far more produce than they can use or share with friends. The rest is often lost to waste. By becoming part of AmpleHarvest, FISH’s Food Pantries will become an available resource to accept and distribute excess fresh food from backyard and community gardeners throughout the region. According to AmpleHarvest founder and CNN Hero, Gary Oppenheimer, “Years back, my own garden grew more produce than we could use, and our community garden also left excess produce to rot on the vines. An organization such as AmpleHarvest was desperately needed. Today, a quarter of all food pantries in 4100 communities across America can receive fresh food.” FISH welcomes fresh produce donations for its customers. FISH CEO, Peggy Morache, commented on the new partnership, “This is another step in FISH’s mission to mitigate nutrition insecurity as well as food insecurity in Central Washington. Our customers receive the benefit of the generous gardening community, and we are all benefit by working together to stop food waste.” FISH has been a community strengthening partner and the food resource for anyone in need in Kittitas County, Washington for more than 50 years. Information about shelf-stable foods needed by FISH’s pantries will be also posted periodically on the AmpleHarvest site to encourage donations by anyone wanting to help. More information about FISH can be found at www.kvfish.org. AmpleHarvest .org (www.AmpleHarvest.org) is a nationwide 501(c)3 hunger/food waste program, partnered with or supported by Google, the USDA, National Gardening Association, Feeding America and most of America’s food banks. AmpleHarvest encourages and empowers millions of growers across America to share their surplus produce with a local food pantry, using food that is already available to feed the nation. For further information, contact:                                                   Jay Wehmeyer Jenna Richter                               jay.w@kvfish.org    jenna@kvfish.org                                    509-925-5990 ext.1004

Qualifications: Degree in social work preferred or at least 3-5 years’ experience in a related healthcare field, such as population health. Knowledge of community resources, experience and comfort collaborating with individuals in crisis, strong data collection and documentation skills, excellent written and verbal communication skills, ability to work with culturally diverse families and communities. FISH and Greater Health Now will pay for added training specific to the responsibilities of this position. Salary Range: $22-$25/hr. Full time. For more than 50 years, FISH has been a dedicated non-profit organization committed to alleviating food and nutrition insecurity and improving the lives of individuals and families in Central Washington. Greater Health Now is the Accountable Community of Health for the South-Central Region of Washington. In partnership, we are looking for a motivated and organized Community Resource Coach to contribute to our joint mission of maximizing the power of community to address food and nutrition insecurity and health-related social needs. The Coach will oversee and lead a pilot program that will use a community-based, driven approach to address nutrition-related concerns and to improve access to food, improve nutrition, and address other health related social needs that affect the overall health outcomes of our community. Using the model of the evidence-based More than a Meal program, the Coach will establish a mentoring relationship with pantry-users demonstrating motivation to identify challenges, establish goals and benchmarks, and work together through a one-year program to reach goals of measurable progress toward self-sufficiency and improved quality of life for themselves and their families. The Coach will also aid pantry-users in finding existing community resources to help reach specific goals and build a support system. The position is in Ellensburg, Washington and will require travel within the region. A FISH vehicle will be provided for business travel. QUALIFIED CANDIDATES ONLY please send a resume and cover letter to Peggy Morache, CEO, FISH. Peggy.m@kvfish.org. Qualifications: Degree in social work preferred or at least 3-5 years’ experience in a related healthcare field, such as population health. Knowledge of community resources, experience and comfort collaborating with individuals in crisis, strong data collection and documentation skills, excellent written and verbal communication skills, ability to work with culturally diverse families and communities. FISH and Greater Health Now will pay for added training specific to the responsibilities of this position. This institution is an equal-opportunity employer and provider.

According to Jay Wehmeyer our Director of Grocery Operations: "Comparing May 2023 to May 2024, the number of households served by FISH rose from 1759 to 2850, or a 62% increase. For the last 9 months, we have averaged 98 new households each month. The number of individuals served by FISH rose from 4143 in May 2023, to 10,358 in May 2024. That is a 250% increase. Those numbers show that larger families are being hit even harder with food insecurity." FISH works diligently to keep up with the demand and provide the best quality and variety of foods to our clients including items from the USDA, WSDA, and Grocery Rescue (local store and restaurant donations picked up by volunteers). We make trips to Second Harvest in the Tri Cities to pick up fresh and shelf stable pantry staples. FISH purchases milk from local farms. We rely on donations to stock our community shelves and provide fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms and gardens whenever possible. Financial contributions continue to offer us the flexibility to purchase the most needed foods for our pantry. Our ability to buy items in bulk (think pallets instead of single items), helps us get the best pricing. We also have access to programs that only serve hunger relief organizations and can offer huge discounts helping stretch donation dollars.   https://lnkd.in/guEnX4Bc

WOW! We are so lucky to have such caring and committed volunteers on our team! Our Meals on Wheels drivers are such an essential resource in our community. They are a huge part of helping keep seniors in their homes by providing nutritious meals, a quick safety check and much-needed human connection. Want to join this elite group of superstars? We provide all training and will reimburse your mileage at 65.5 cents per mile. If you have ever thought about getting involved, the need is greater than ever. Whether you commit to once or twice a week or are willing to be a substitute driver, we could use your help! Please get in touch with our volunteer coordinator Elise at 509-925-5990 x 802 or volunteering@kvfish.org. Shifts typically last about 60-90 minutes. Drivers pick up hot meals at Open Table, deliver to clients on a route we have created (including turn-by-turn instructions), and return meals and equipment. The shifts start around 10:30 a.m.. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

WOW! A sincere thank you to Kittitas Title and Escrow, LLC and AmeriTitle in Ellensburg for participating in the Closing the Hunger Gap challenge and donating almost 1000 pounds of food to fill our community shelves!

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Our 2023 Impact Report is now available at: https://lnkd.in/g8h-RFu4