Blog As Safety Nets Unravel, We Must Strengthen Our Collective Response to Hunger March 28, 2025 Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Email In Washington state, more than 890,000 people face food insecurity daily. Behind this statistic are real families choosing between paying rent and putting food on the table, children attending school hungry, seniors rationing medication to afford groceries, and veterans waiting in food bank lines. These realities existed before the recent federal program cuts and proposed state budget cuts. Now, our most vulnerable neighbors face even greater challenges as support is drastically reduced. When food assistance programs like SNAP are cut back, the effects are immediate. Families lose vital food assistance. Fewer pregnant women and children receive nutritional help. Struggling households experience increased hunger, debt, and health problems—ultimately increasing healthcare costs for our entire community. Food insecurity impacts different communities in different ways: Communities of color experience hunger at twice the rate of white communities Rural areas and neighborhoods with few grocery stores face barriers to food access Immigrant families often hesitate to seek benefits they qualify for due to fear Children without enough food face lasting impacts on development and education Our statewide network of emergency food providers, community organizations, and advocates shares a common purpose. We believe that progress toward ending hunger must continue. We do not accept hunger as inevitable. We remain committed to our shared purpose. Together, we pledge to: Strengthen our combined efforts to reach more people in need Amplify the voices of those most impacted by hunger and food insecurity Help everyone understand that hunger results from systemic problems, not personal failings Support neighbor-to-neighbor aid networks Demonstrate that community-centered solutions can work, even when other support decreases The path forward requires working together across differences. Hunger affects people of all backgrounds. A child who doesn’t have enough to eat needs solutions, not division. A senior choosing between food and medicine needs help, not arguments. We’ve seen this unity in action before. When pandemic food assistance ended in 2023, communities across Washington came together. Faith groups opened food pantries. Neighbors shared food. Local governments provided funding. Together, we found new ways to help more people. It wasn’t enough—it’s never enough when anyone goes hungry—but it showed what we can accomplish together. That same commitment guides us today. To decision-makers: We are paying attention to how policy choices affect hunger in our communities. We remain committed to advocating for effective solutions to food insecurity. To those experiencing hunger: We see you. We are with you. You deserve dignity, respect, and access to nutritious food. Your needs matter. To all Washingtonians: Join us. Volunteer at local food programs. Support efforts that strengthen food security. Question assumptions that blame individuals for system-wide failings. Demand that your elected officials make hunger a priority. As resources become more limited, the stakes get higher and our work grows more challenging, but our commitment grows stronger. When we join together—across regions and backgrounds—we become a force more powerful than any single policy or administration. Hunger can end. It must end. And with our collective action, it will end. This statement represents the collective voice of 35 food assistance organizations across Washington: WASHINGTON NORTH Bellingham Foodbank Mike Cohen Blaine Food Bank Lisa Dobbin Port Angeles Food Bank Emily Dexter WASHINGTON CENTRAL & NORTHEAST The COVE Glenn Schmekel Highland Food Bank Paige Matson HopeSource Sam Puntenney Mattawa Area Food Bank Pamela K. Bunger Royal City Foodbank Mary Eilers Upper Valley Mend Bob Mark Yakima Rotary Food Bank Ken Jones CENTRAL PUGET SOUND Arlington Community Food Bank Byrd Barr Place Angela Griffin Colored Girls Garden Club Yvette Dinish Edmonds Food Bank Casey Davis Fall City Community Food Pantry Sarah Curtis Greer Feeding Feasible Feasts Angel Swanson Gifts from the Heart Food Bank Molly Hughes Jewish Family Service Sandy Lowe Northwest Harvest Natasha Dworkin North Helpline Louren Reed Pike Market Senior Center & Food Bank Pamela Hinckley Skykomish Food Bank Gillian Esson Snohomish County Food Coalition Carla Rankin Snoqualmie Valley Food Bank Alison Roberts Tukwila School District Carrie Stradley University District Food Bank Joe Gruber UTOPIA Washington Taffy Johnson White Center Food Bank Carmen Smith SOUTH PUGET SOUND Nourish Pierce County Sue Potter My Sister’s Pantry Rhys Crane WASHINGTON SOUTHEAST The Chewelah Food Bank Colleen Antoine Shalom Ministries Gregg Sealey WASHINGTON SOUTHWEST Ocean Park Food Bank Michael Goldberg Ocean Shores Food Bank Sandra L. Harley St Vincent de Paul Ilwaco Food Bank Rachel Gana