2023 Legislative Priorities
January 9, 2023
Growing Food Justice Across Washington
January 22, 2020
Get Involved|January: Food is Justice
“We have confused convenience with access, abundance with security. True food security comes from a just food system that puts power back in the hands of communities.”
– Malik Yakini, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, interviewed in “Civil Eats” (2021)
This story is part of The Meaning of Food, Northwest Harvest’s yearlong exploration of food’s meaning in our lives and communities.
a Washington where everyone has affordable access to nutritious, culturally familiar food from local growers who earn thriving wages. Your food travels less than 200 miles from farm to kitchen; your food is grown, harvested, transported, and sold within your region. This local food system increases resilience, reduces supply chain disruptions, and dramatically cuts greenhouse gas emissions.
a food system transformed by ethical, organic, and regenerative agricultural practices. Where industrial agriculture and monocropping have given way to sustainable farming focused on feeding people, not producing livestock feed and biofuels. Where regulations ensure food safety and environmental protection, and harmful chemicals have been dramatically reduced.
Indigenous land rights prioritized and protected, with Native communities leading meaningful stewardship of land and resources. Where marginalized communities have access to land, capital, and resources to become farmers. Where farming provides viable livelihoods, workers enjoy strong protections, and a new generation of diverse farmers transforms our agricultural landscape.
fruit trees flourishing in public parks, food forests and urban farms feeding communities, and gardens blooming on sidewalk strips, school campuses, and apartment building decks. Neighbors exchanging seeds and plant starts, stocking Little Free Pantries, and sharing growing wisdom. No food goes to waste for aesthetic reasons. Community networks ensure surplus reaches those who need it most.
schools where every child eats breakfast and lunch at no cost. Where lunch debt is a thing of the past, and families no longer face the stigma of inability to pay. Where children receive nutrient-dense, seasonal foods that support their development, health, and academic success.
In 2023, 708,000 Washingtonians lived in poverty—9.1% of our population—including 158,000 children. While our state’s food insecurity rate of 9.5% falls below the national average of 12.2%, this statistic masks stark disparities in who goes hungry.
Food costs in western Washington have risen 20% since 2021, driving increased reliance on food banks. Over one-third of food-insecure households fall into a devastating gap: earning too much to qualify for federal assistance but too little to consistently afford healthy food.
These disparities reflect historical and ongoing systemic inequities in land access, economic opportunity, and resource distribution. They demonstrate why ending hunger requires more than food—it demands transformative change in how our food system operates and who holds power within it.
Latinos en Spokane builds capacity within Latino immigrant families through inclusive community engagement, connecting communities to resources through their El Mercadito farmers market while advancing immigrant rights and food justice.
Na’ah Illahee Fund supports Indigenous food sovereignty through community-led programs that strengthen traditional food systems and medicine practices across Native communities.
Feed the People builds food sovereignty in Seattle through mutual aid, operating community kitchens and pantries, while distributing meals and groceries directly to neighbors.
Community to Community Development advances food sovereignty and farm worker rights in Bellingham through domestic fair-trade practices and worker-owned cooperatives.
National Right to Food Community of Practice is a membership-based national coalition of advocates and organizations working to advance the right to food. We interviewed the Community of Practice director, Alison Cohen in February 2024. Read the story!
Northwest Harvest affirms that hunger is unacceptable, entirely solvable, and our collective responsibility to address. Every person deserves reliable access to nutritious, culturally familiar food. Through shared action and advocacy, we can build a food system that serves all communities equitably.
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Follow along at @NWHarvest on Instagram and Facebook, and join the conversation using #MeaningOfFood. Together, we’re weaving a deeper understanding of food’s role in creating a more equitable future.
