Northwest Harvest Open for Baby Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Seattle, WA:  Northwest Harvest is pleased to announce that beginning the week of July 12, 2010 Thursdays at the Cherry Street Food Bank will be designated as Baby Day, offering a menu exclusively for children 5 and under and their families. The food bank will be closed to all other clients on Thursdays but will offer an expanded menu on Fridays to accommodate client need.

The Baby Day program was initiated by the agency in 1986 in response to the plight of a client so desperate for food for her infant she was feeding the child coffee creamer from a restaurant.

Nearly 25 years later, the need has increased and Baby Day remains an integral part of the food bank’s operations. “The first years are a critical period in a child’s life,” says executive director Shelley Rotondo. “Infants and toddlers from low-income families are already at developmental risk due to poverty. They’re put at additional risk for cognitive or behavioral problems by food insecurity. Northwest Harvest’s Baby Day program at the Cherry Street Food Bank demonstrates our commitment to helping our most vulnerable clients get a better start in life.”

The food bank will also close on Tuesdays for cleaning and restocking. Its Monday and Wednesday operations will continue to be full service days.

Northwest Harvest is Washington’s own statewide hunger relief agency. Our mission is to provide nutritious food to hungry people statewide in a manner that respects their dignity, while working to eliminate hunger.

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Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly described Baby Day service as limited to families with children age 2 and under.