YAKIMA, Wash. — Northwest Harvest CEO Thomas Reynolds said more families are facing food insecurity now than during the height of the pandemic, which is a concern for people’s physical and mental health.
“Food insecurity is not just a challenge of missing meals,” Reynolds said. “When you’re worried about where the next meal might come from, or if you’re going to be able to feed your kids and the people you provide care for, that becomes a really big burden.”
That’s a burden the nonprofit is hoping to help alleviate with its creation of a 200,000 square-foot distribution center in Yakima, with the capacity to store up to 20,000 pallets of food, including nonperishable, frozen and refrigerated items.
The shelves are currently empty, but soon, should be filled with donations of food that the nonprofit can then distribute to food banks across the region, which aren’t getting as many donations as they used to receive.
“We know that food inflation is up something like 24% since the beginning of this year.” Reynolds said. “That means inflation in general is also up. So if you’re paying more for gas trying to get back and forth to work, you have less money for food.”
Less money often means less choices for families shopping for their dinner, but Northwest Harvest is hoping to give those choices back.
“In addition to the distribution center, we’re also going to be opening a free grocery store that will be available to anyone here in the Yakima Valley, who’s in need of food that day,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds said the Yakima distribution center should be open by late November or early December and the Fruitvale Community Market is set to open next spring. He said not a single person in need of those food resources should feel bad about it.
“We have all been there at some time or other and no matter what circumstance you’re in, you are making a beautiful contribution to this earth and you should feel really good about going to your closest food bank when that’s open, taking home food resources and making yourself whole and the people you care for,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds said anyone who can donate even a spare can of soup or a bag of rice to a local food bank can make a huge difference in the lives of people in their community facing food insecurity.
“Our neighbors are in need, people next door and you might not even know it,” Reynolds said. “But this is a really tough time, so if you’re in position to give, it’s a wonderful time to do it.”
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