The 26th Annual Great Figgy Pudding Street Corner Caroling Competition



This Friday the Pike Market Senior Center and Food Bank will host the 26th Annual Figgy Pudding Street Corner Carolina Competition.  Nearly 10,000 people come out every year to hear caroling teams compete in a sing-off.  All proceeds benefit the Pike Market Senior Center and Food Bank, a Seattle Food Committee Member. Their website offers more details and pictures from past events.  Figgy Pudding begins at 5:00 pm and the main stage sing-off happens at 7:30.  This event is sure to be a good time for the whole family!

Turkeys for Thanksgiving

Founded in the 1940’s The Food Bank @ St. Mary’s is Seattle’s oldest food bank. The doors are open to everyone regardless of creed. The services target the most basic of human needs. This week, in preparation of Thanksgiving the food bank is giving away over 1200 turkeys.

“We started looking for donations earlier this year from the better known companies who distribute turkeys,” said Alison Pence, Director of the food bank. “Everyone told us they were only giving to their local organizations. So I decided to ask locally for donations from churches, schools, individuals, even on my personal Facebook page!” Slowly but surely the donations came in. One of the local churches physically brought in 225 turkeys on Monday morning. The food bank bought 1000 turkeys with the donations that came in.

The food bank had nearly 700 people come through on Tuesday and almost 600 today. Luckily, not everyone wants turkey so we had chicken, beef, pork, and lamb as an alternative. “We try very hard to satisfy each culture,” said Pence. “We also have a kosher freezer and halal meats for those who need it. The poor and the hungry deserve to have a good Thanksgiving too.”

###

The Food Bank @ St. Mary’s serves anyone living within the Seattle city limits. Our primary purpose is to combat hunger at a local level. Along with a staff of five and a team of 100+ volunteers, we operate a walk-in food bank and a home delivery program providing groceries for 7,500 – 8,000 people each month. In addition to food items, we provide No-Cook bags of groceries for the homeless, hygiene products such as soap, shampoo, and socks, as well as baby and toddler supplies including formula, diapers, and baby food.

Earlier this year, the food bank started the “Feeding Hungry Children” program feeding children who attend local schools.

Food Banks and Urban Farms

Erin "Mac" MacDonald, Development Associate at the Ballard Food Bank, discusses urban farms and how they're improving food banks across Western Washington.

This summer, I’ve been introduced to people who are striving to create a sustainable and local community of gleaners, farmers, and food bankers to source locally grown food for those in need. I visited with farm managers of two food bank farms, Mother Earth Farm, and Vashon Island Food Bank Farm. Through these on-site farm outings and in conversations with the staff at Rotary First Harvest, and others, I’ve come to the opinion that yes, Seattle needs another large food bank farm of its own to feed the Seattle Food Bank community, much as Marra Farm and Seattle Community Farm are doing in South Park and Rainier Valley, respectively.

The good news is, food bank farms are emerging. In Western Washington alone, there are a number of food banks leasing land to pursue small farms that they then manage and food banks that have developed partnerships with local farms that donate all or most of their produce.

A Snapshot Of Two Food Bank Farms

Mother Earth Farm, Orting, Wa.

Canyon Little has been managing the Mother Earth Farm for three seasons under the Emergency Food Network (EFN). In 2011, on 8 acres, 150,000 lbs of produce was grown at the farm. Produce is distributed across a network that includes over 20 food banks, and these food banks come to the farm to pick up the produce. The farm itself has been around for 12 years. Canyon took over as manager after his mother, Carrie Little, left to work exclusively on her land at Little Eorthe  Farm. 
There is one greenhouse on-site, which was completed last winter. Like the Seattle Community Farm, they also grow culturally appropriate vegetables for their diverse client population, such as Chinese Cabbage and hot peppers.

King County:

Vashon Island Food Bank Farm, Jenn Coe
Jenn Coe is the farm manager for the Vashon Island Food Bank Farm. They’ve cultivated ½ an acre on land they lease. They harvest 6,000 lbs of produce a year for their food bank clients. Currently the farm grows ten specific crops based on what most people will eat. The board decides what will be grown each season. They also donate produce to the White Center Food Bank when there’s a really good harvest. The extra produce gets delivered when their truck makes its weekly off island run to Food Lifeline and Northwest Harvest.

Jenn says that the farm could grow more food if they had a steady group of volunteers, but being on the island can present some challenges. There are many non-profit groups on the island to begin with, and Vashon has a small population from which to glean volunteers. While there are many farmers who live on the island, they are busy managing their own land, so it is difficult to get on-going commitment from islanders who are otherwise engaged. With that in mind, they’ve started a successful “Foster Seedlings” program. Without a greenhouse, Jenn is unable to start seedlings for the farm herself. So, farmers and other volunteers on the island receive flats and containers with potting soil and seeds. They’re asked to put flats in their greenhouses, alongside their own. It’s an easy way for them to contribute and in return, the food bank farm gets professionally grown seedlings that are ready to be transplanted right into the ground.

Urban farms are here in the city and across the country and I don’t forsee them going away. Indeed, in a time of growing uncertainty and a rise in the number of clients coming to our food banks, it’s time to start thinking hyperlocal when it comes to sourcing our food.

Please check out the links I’ve included throughout this piece, and consider making a trip to visit one of the various food bank farms in the Greater Seattle Area.

Island County:

Good Cheer Food Bank on Whidbey Island. They have 54 raised beds in which to grow food, and they harvest 5,000 lbs annually.

Whatcom County:

The Bellingham Food Bank  operates a three acre farm, and they, like many other food bank farms, also grow with their clients’ needs specifically in mind. Their short video, made in 2010, presents a nice snapshot of what they do.

Clark County:

The Clark County Food Bank operates a four acre farm to feed folks in the Greater Vancouver area.

Packs for Kids

Jessica Wright, Home Delivery Coordinator for the University District Food Bank, reflects on the evolution of their Packs for Kids program.

The 2011-2012 academic year was University District Food Bank’s first time partnering with Eckstein Middle School to provide backpacks of weekend food to students in need. By the time summer arrived, we had many parent volunteers helping pack up food to approximately 35 students each week.  Even with the initial success of the program, we wondered if these middle school students had hungry siblings. We all were pretty sure that they probably did. Thanks to some of the Eckstein volunteers’ help, we were able to connect with some of the elementary schools in our service area and introduce the idea of sending weekend food home with some of their students. Now we are beginning a new school year with Eckstein and a few of these additional elementary schools, committed to making sure these children are able to grow into healthy and successful young adults.

We want food going home in backpacks to meet three qualifications: 1) be nutritious and support growth, 2) be easy enough to prepare for the students to safely do themselves, and 3) be culturally appropriate and desirable to eat. Figuring out what to put in each backpack that met these three goals was a process of trial and error throughout the year. It will continue to be so this year as we serve new students and keep serving some of the same students who received similar items last year. It was a surprise to find out after a couple months of distributing backpacks that peanut butter and jelly was not something that most of our Eckstein students wanted to receive. Was it only me that packed a PB&J sandwich for lunch every day from Kindergarten through 10th grade?

As we add elementary students to our program this year, we’ll have to take another look at what these younger students are capable of preparing for themselves and how much they’re able to carry home. Opening up a can of soup, pouring it into a bowl, and microwaving it for the amount of time it says on the can’s instructions are reasonable expectations for an 11-13 year old student, but not necessarily for the younger and wider age range we’ll serve at the elementary schools. I also had to remind myself many times in the last few weeks that the successful model we have at Eckstein Middle School is not to be used as a cookie cutter for programs we begin in other schools. Each school will have their own set of needs. While it feels good to have a year of the program in our experience file, I expect that this school year will provide many more unique circumstances to work through.

From the beginning of our working relationship with the Eckstein Middle School PTSA, I was impressed with their energy and compassion for hungry students. Groups at the elementary schools are stepping up and showing enthusiasm too. These parents are concerned with the well-being of not only their children, but their children’s classmates as well. There are signs of increased numbers in the Eckstein program, and as we branch out to local elementary schools I have hope that we will be able to help out a lot of families that are under a large amount of stress just trying to make ends meet. Giving these students healthy food that they can easily take home and safely prepare for themselves is a challenge. Succeeding, however, results in healthier and more focused students ready to learn when they get to school on Monday morning.

The Food Bank @ St. Mary's Online Auction!

NOTED CELEBRITIES JOIN FORCES TO RAISE FUNDING FOR THE FOOD BANK @ ST. MARY'S IN SEATTLE, WA!

Celebrities in the sports, music, art, film, literary and political areas have generously donated autographed items to be auctioned on eBay through eBay's Giving Works to benefit The Food Bank @ St. Mary's in Seattle.  All funding received from this auction will be used for the many exceptional programs of the Food Bank that assist the most vulnerable in our community and to purchase food for those who are hungry and unable to help themselves. 100% of the funding from this auction goes to the non-profit Food Bank!  We are so very grateful for the thoughtfulness and kindness of these celebrities!  There will be more amazing auction items in the upcoming months! :)

The first fundraising auction will go live at midnight (12:01 a.m.) on September 1, 2012 and will end on Monday, September 10, 2012. The items to be auctioned at this first auction are:

• A signed hardback First Edition copy of former President Jimmy Carter's book, Living Faith (He is also a  Nobel Peace Prize winner.)
• A concert poster from the 2011 tour signed by all the Pearl Jam band members
• A John leCarre signed hardback book - Our Kind of Traitor
• A Tom Clancy signed First Edition hardback book - Against All Enemies
• Football Sportscaster Chris Berman signed poster of himself as "The Gridfather"
• "Grease" movie poster signed by actor/singer John Travolta, along with the DVD of the movie and "Grease" trading card from when the movie originally came out (very collectible!)
• A baseball cap signed on the bill by actor Robin Williams, along with a signed photo
• Comic and actor Larry, the Cable guy sent a signed baseball cap, complete with his signature fishing hook attached, to be auctioned
• A signed photo of His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama (Nobel Peace Prize winner)
• Golfer Jim Furyk signed color photo (2010 PGA Tour Player of the Year, 2006 Second in Official World Golf Ranking, 2010 Fed Ex Golf Champ)
• Grammy winning band Sugarland signed photo and platinum selling cd of "The Incredible Machine" (cd is not signed, the photo is)
• Baseball great Derek Jeter signed photo (Captain NY Yankees, sure to be in Baseball Hall of Fame, first Yankee to get 3,000 hits)
• Seattle Seahawks Gameday program signed by player Red Bryant
• "Garfield" print signed by cartoonist Jim Davis
• Nickelodeon cast of iCarly signed photo and signed script
• The Seattle Mariners sent Felix Hernandez and Dustin Ackerly bobbleheads (not signed) for auction, along with a women's Felix Hernandez t-shirt and a Justin Smoak Smoakamotive
• Rock Radio Station KISW 99.9 in Seattle in Studio event - BJ Shea Morning Experience for 2 + Prize Pack - Winner sits in from 8 to 10 am during the show in the studio!
• A signed, matted photograph by noted Santa Fe photographer Elliott McDowell (photograph is of a music theme)

Bidders will find the items by either typing in the names of the donors above, or by typing in the eBay name of the Food Bank - which is foodbankst.marys.

Remember, all proceeds from the auction go to the non-profit, 501(c)(3) Food Bank @ St. Mary's.  PLEASE BID GENEROUSLY.  The object is not to get "A Good Deal" but to support a non-profit, social service agency that feeds those in need and does so much more to improve the quality of life for people who are suffering or facing hard times.

For over 66 years (since 1946) the mission of The Food Bank at St. Mary’s in Seattle, WA has been: “Supporting our community with hospitality, respect and nutritious food.”   Our goals and our programs serve to meet the basic food needs of the most vulnerable in our community who are unable to provide for themselves, including low income and poverty level families, infants, young children, the elderly, disabled, handicapped, homeless and home-bound individuals, those who are experiencing severe hardships for the first time due to job lay-offs or other misfortunes and those who are in permanent dire circumstances. This celebrity auction is to raise funding for our programs and food purchases.  In 2011 we served over 83,000 people and distributed over 3,000,000 pounds of food to people in times of great need.  Currently in 2012 we are feeding over 8,000 people a month.  Our website is www.thefbsm.org.

Again, the fundraising celebrity item auction goes live for 10 days starting this coming Saturday morning, September 1st and ends on September 10th.

Thank you so much for your generous support of the Food Bank @ St. Mary's. Your bidding helps feed others.  If you have any questions about any of the items, call Freeda at 206-769-5941.

2012 SFC Van Tour!

On Monday, August 13, 2012 over 40 individuals from food banks, meal programs, the city and state, and food distributors attended the annual SFC Van Tour. This year’s tour gave attendees the chance to learn about a few of Seattle’s meal programs and the work they’re doing in the community.

On the Van!

1st Stop: Queen Anne Food Bank

Elise tells us about the QAFB

The Queen Anne Food Bank operates a sack lunch program five days a week and a food bank one day a week.  The food bank closed temporarily in November 2011 when St. Vincent de Paul could no longer fund it. However, in February 2012 it reopened with support from the community. Now with donated food, one paid staff member, and 50 volunteers, the Queen Anne Food Bank serves 2,400 sack lunches and 250 grocery bags a month.

David fills us in on Recovery Cafe

2nd Stop: Recovery Café
Recovery Café is a recovery support center that provides several services to its members; among those services are lunch and dinner provided daily Tuesday through Saturday.  Meals are prepared from scratch by members who volunteer to cook. The Café also has an espresso machine that was donated by Starbucks. Café Vita donates coffee and maintains the machine. Members can be trained as baristas, and there is a latte hour most weekdays.

Delicious Katsu burger!

3rd Stop: ACRS (Asian Counseling and Referral Service) – Club Bamboo
Club Bamboo at ACRS provides lunch and socialization activities for seniors Tuesday through Friday.  After an energizing line dancing class, people can come together and enjoy the delicious lunches served by Club Bamboo; van tour participants were lucky enough to enjoy one of these lunches. Our lunch menu was: Katsu burger, potato salad, grapes, pears, and sweet potato fries!
In addition to the meal served at Club Bamboo, ACRS also works closely with organizations in the community to provide ethnic hot meals to seniors.

4th Stop: El Centro de la Raza

El Centro's de la Raza's Meal Program

El Centro de la Raza operates a Latino hot meal program and a food bank.  Their hot meal program has specific meals for youth and seniors and a lunch hot meal open to anyone Monday through Friday.  Their food bank is open Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. They provide approximately 2,000 bags of food a month, and 90% of that food is donated.  They serve a large Asian population, and estimate that there are about five different dialects spoken among their clients.

Don tells us about Community Lunch

5th Stop: Community Lunch on Capitol Hill at All Pilgrims Church
The Community Lunch on Capitol Hill was our last stop on the van tour.  They serve 40,000 hot meals every year using over 120 tons of food!  Hot meals are served Tuesday and Friday at noon and Thursday at 5:00 pm.  Community Lunch receives from Food Lifeline, Northwest Harvest, and grocery rescue programs.
Don was especially generous and served us ice cream to celebrate Alison's time as the Food Resources Program Assistant; she will be missed!

More Photos from the Tour:

The group eats lunch at ACRS' Club Bamboo.

Information on Club Bamboo

Denise tells the group about El Centro's history.

David shows off Community Lunch's kitchen.

The group in El Centro de la Raza's Food Bank.

Lester picks up his delicious lunch.

Gary Tang tells the group about ACRS.

Recovery Cafe's espresso machine, donated by Starbucks.

Review of De-Escalation Training Techniques

Annaliese Stelzer-Terminello, Food Bank Coordinator at SFC Member Immanuel Community Services, shares her experience from a de-escalation training that was held for SFC and MPC members on Monday, July 30, 2012.

On a Monday afternoon, a group of Food Bank and Meal Program managers, coordinators, and volunteers gathered at the Mt. Baker Community Club to learn about methods of de-escalation. The Seattle Food Committee and the Meals Partnership Coalition have recently started engaging in various trainings and meetings together to build partnership between programs concentrating on food justice in our area. We sat in folding chairs, eating fresh cherries and popcorn, and listened to our presenter, Ellis Amdur, speak about his experiences in de-escalation and share tactics for use in our own programs. Ellis was entertaining as well as knowledgeable. He taught us through stories instead of slides, using his natural theatrics to keep a large audience engaged. We learned about crowd control, behaviors of an angered person vs. an enraged person, how to protect yourself and your volunteers in a crisis situation, and more. Audience participation and testimony were encouraged. My partner and volunteer, Dante John Terminello, and I were both chosen to help demonstrate de-escalation tactics. I expected that we would address most of these issues and had heard or used a number of his tactics before, but repetition of good information is always helpful.  I was surprised when Ellis spent a portion of time talking about deep-breathing. We all practiced a method of circular breathing that Ellis had learned while studying martial arts in Japan. The purpose of this practice is to stay calm in tense situations and make quick decisions with a clear head. Each agency was given a free copy of Ellis’ book, which details the information he presented and is meant to be shared with interested partners in each program.  Both Food Banks and Meal Programs serve a diverse and sometimes unpredictable population. De-escalation is an important skill to have when working in social service arenas, as well as in the home, at school, and throughout daily life. As the Food Bank Coordinator of Immanuel Community Services, I highly value these types of trainings and greatly appreciate the chance to join with other food bank and meal program leaders and volunteers to discuss new tactics, best practices, and interesting stories about nonviolence and de-escalation.

Annaliese Stelzer-Terminello
Immanuel Community Services
Food Bank Coordinator

Culturally Competent Food

Micah Phillips, Food Bank Specialist at SFC Member Jewish Family Service Food Bank, describes how Jewish Family Service implemented knowledge learned from a SFC Cultural Competency training. 

At the Cultural Competency session in July, we heard from five panelists about how each of their cultures approaches food and hunger issues.  We heard from Yuriy Martyn about the Ukranian community, Munira Mohamed about the Somali community, Kim Long Nguyen abou tthe Vietnamese community, Gary Tang about the Chinese community, and Perla Perez Ramos about the Latino community.  As a former Peace Corps Volunteer to China, I was particularly interested in what Gary had to say. Having lived in Sichuan Province in southwest China for two years, I am familiar with the food eaten in the southwest, west, central and north regions of the country.  Southeast China, on the other hand—Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the provinces around Guangdong (Canton)—the area where most of our Chinese clients come from, is an area with which I am much less familiar.  I am aware, of course, of the Southeastern Chinese fare that is found in most American Chinese restaurants: dim sum, congee, etc.  I am less aware of what Southeastern Chinese people actually eat.  Thankfully, Gary confirmed what I already assumed: Chinese clients are less interested in wheat flour products, creamy sauces and root vegetables like potatoes and carrots.  They tend to be more interested in fresh greens, tofu, meat and rice. They are also particularly fond of “Asian” vegetables, like lotus root, bitter melon, kabocha and taro. 

After the session, we at the JFS Food Bank began a project catering specifically to our Chinese Home Delivery clients.  At Leschi House in the International District, all of our clients receiving food deliveries are of Asian descent.  About one-third of the clients are Vietnamese or from some other Southeast Asian country and almost two-thirds are from China.  Taking into account all that we learned from the Cultural Competency session, we began tailoring our basic food bags to account for these Asian clients’ specific dietary preferences.  We modified, for example, the staple food items we normally put into our bags—typically “Western” items like oatmeal, flour pasta, tomato sauce, bread, canned soups and canned beans—and instead added more Asian staples like rice noodles, jasmine rice, tofu and dried red or black beans.  For the fresh produce, we made similar changes, so instead of having vegetables usually found in the Western diet—leaf lettuce, potatoes, cauliflower and carrots—we substituted more traditionally Asian vegetables, like bok choy, rapeseed greens, lotus root and Siamese ginger.  We also made an effort to buy our ingredients from the local grocery stores at which our clients might actually shop.  We bought last month’s fresh produce from a Vietnamese-owned grocery store at 10^th and Jackson.

For someone outside the food community looking in, the act of providing a different kind of noodle or leafy green vegetable might not seem important.  At the JFS Food Bank, however, we believe that difference matters.  Sure, a hungry person will put anything into the pan and call it dinner.  But if that person can look at their food and experience nostalgia for the place they came from, perhaps it makes their meal that much more satisfying.  That’s what we at the JFS Food Bank are striving for, and what Solid Ground’s session inspired us to provide.  Culturally competent food that our clients appreciate.  

Lettuce Link: Sharing your backyard bounty

This post, written by Jessica Sherrow, a Harvest Against Hunger Summer VISTA with Lettuce Link, originally appeared on the Lettuce Link blog. Jessica has been working with the P-Patch Giving Gardens this summer to support the growing and giving efforts. 


The sun is shining, the rain is (almost) gone, and plants are finally growing at an alarmingly fast rate. This time of year, we know exactly what all you gardeners are wondering:

What in the world am I going to do with all this zucchini??

We at Lettuce Link are excited to remind you of the perfect solution:

DONATE IT!

Food banks across Seattle have a continual need for fresh, nutritious produce, so what better way to cull your garden of those delicious but over-producing squash, greens, beans, and tomatoes than to share them with families who need it most?

And if your garden is not yet overflowing with excess veggies, consider growing an extra row for your local food bank as you plant your fall crops! It can be as small as a row of greens, or as big as a backyard committed entirely to giving (à la the Seattle Seedling). Big or small, every donation is appreciated!

A Year at El Centro de la Raza

Andrew Kingsriter, a Lutheran Volunteer Corps member at SFC Member El Centro de la Raza Food Bank, reflects on his year of service.


Greetings! My name is Andrew Kingsriter and I am completing a year serving as the Foodbank Coordinator at El Centro de la Raza. I am working here at El Centro as a part of the Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC), a yearlong service program that places volunteers with non-profit organizations throughout the United States. The foodbank at El Centro serves the diverse Beacon Hill neighborhood as well as the greater Latino community within Seattle.  Over the course of the last year we have seen a steady amount of traffic coming into the foodbank. This story is not unique to El Centro; it has being repeated all across the city and county. The steady use of emergency human services continues to demonstrate the critical need for continued support for these programs at all levels of government.

In addition to the foodbank, El Centro has several other food related programs including; a free community meal every weekday from 12-1pm, a senior program that includes a four times weekly congregate meal and home deliveries, and a summer meals site offering free breakfast and lunch for children under the age of 18. As the diversity of these programs demonstrate, they serve a need felt at all levels of the community. I think one of the best parts about El Centro is that it has a seemingly unconscious ethic of removing the stigma attached to receiving human services. Especially in regards to something as basic as food, I think El Centro really does try hard to remove feelings of inadequacy or un-worth that can accompany receiving these types of services. Over the course of my time at El Centro, I have come to better understand how important that ethic of inclusion is. It is easy to give out food, but to make people feel included and welcoming them into building meaningful relationships is the where the real work begins.

Why the food fight over the Farm Bill matters to you

Anna Goren, AmeriCorps VISTA at SFC Member Jewish Family Service Food Bank, reflects on the Farm Bill. 

The Farm Bill is a classic democratic-process-headache: a 1,000 page piece of legislation that takes on all things food and agriculture related.

It covers everything from food stamps to farmland conservation to nutrition programs to farm subsidies.

Past versions have mostly benefited big farmers of soy, corn, and other commodity crops, along with large corporations who control most of the food industry (see infographic at right for more).

With the interests of nutrition experts, anti-hunger groups, small and large farmers, agri-business, and politicians vying for their once-in-every-five-year shot at staking claims in the Farm Bill, it comes as no surprise that it stirred up a bipartisan food fight in the House of Representatives last week.

Democrats and Republicans are still battling between saving food stamps and nutrition programs and cutting the federal budget, so passage of the bill may be delayed until after the Presidential election in November.

Children's Alliance: Kids' nutrition at risk in House Farm Bill

Original post from the Children's Alliance blog:
http://www.childrensalliance.org/no-kidding-blog

One million people in Washington use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to feed their families. Two out of every 3 households receiving assistance includes a child. Washington’s children are at great risk of hunger – an experience no child should go through.

Congress has been considering some dangerous changes to federal policy governing SNAP. And as bad as the Senate version of the Farm Bill would be for Washington’s children, the version passed out of the House Agriculture Committee last week is worse.

The starting point for the House bill is the Senate’s harmful limitation on state “heat and eat” options that allow more families to receive larger utility deductions and higher benefits. Here in Washington, this will cut the monthly food budgets of nearly a quarter million families by 37 percent. And the House version makes two additional harmful changes.

First, it eliminates the state’s flexibility to change food stamp qualifications that help the recently unemployed. This change will force jobseekers to get rid of items they’ll need to get back on their feet, like the family car. It will also throw more than 80,000 Washington families completely off the program.

Resources: Parent Trust for Washington Children

Becca Roy from the Parent Trust for Washington Children stopped by last Monday's Seattle Food Committee meeting to share information about the services they provide that might be helpful for food bank clients with children. Here's what she had to say:

Parent Trust for Washington Children (PTWC) is a locally-based, state-wide family support non-profit. We offer a range of family support services that are free to low-cost, which can all be found on our website: www.parenttrust.org. Two in particular we would like to highlight are the child development screening program and the Family Help Line, which are both FREE.

2011: Seattle Food Banks by the Numbers

Many Seattleites – just like many Americans – struggle to put enough food on their tables during these tough economic times. Seattle food banks help fill that gap and work to ensure families don’t go hungry. But Seattle food banks are also struggling to meet the increased need, coupled with a decrease in funding and donations.

See why in this review of the year 2011 by the numbers:

Seattle Food Banks: 2011

• TOTAL households served by Seattle Food Banks* in 2011: 702,238
• Percent change since 2007: +25%