Finding a Path to Bring Everyone Forward

A message from Chief Executive Officer Thomas Reynolds

Our world is not always beautiful; our society does not always offer opportunity to each of its inhabitants—certainly not in an equitable way.

When I lived and worked in other time zones, on other continents, in other places—I saw the devastation of war, the effects of pervasive poverty, the anxiety around failed crops, the futility of contaminated water sources. Somehow it felt easier to diagnose the issues in the lands where I was a foreigner—but perhaps it was only that I was not as emotionally connected to the challenges, nor the solutions.

Now after a year back home in Washington, I am recognizing the profound challenges that so many people face in our cities, towns, and rural areas across our state. There is no randomness to poverty, no haphazardness to hunger. People of color and rural communities face disproportionately high rates of food insecurity. This is happening for a reason. Our society operates within a relatively stable equilibrium which allots privilege unequally.

There is no need to blame people for being hungry; it’s not compelling to fault those who struggle with hunger for failing to be successful. The people I meet at food banks are hard-working single mothers and fathers. They are seniors. They are veterans. They are students. They are striving to make ends meet and improve their lives.

There is something bigger at work which underlies our current reality. The hypothesis that food insecurity can be eradicated by giving surplus food to hungry people has not borne out as a long-term solution—though it does make an important contribution to households in need right now.

Based on the premise that community leaders are the best people to collaborate with to find solutions, Northwest Harvest is linking with small businesses, farming communities, universities, local nonprofit groups, and others to identify scalable hunger-fighting initiatives—especially those focused on efforts to end practices that widen opportunity gaps across our state.

The human experience has many peaks and valleys—this is true for everyone. In the hardest moments of my life—the ones marked by tragedy—the people I am closest to cared for me when I found it hard to continue. I am, and will always be, grateful for their promise to be present, their compassion to listen, and their willingness to support me when I needed it. I believe that is the role of Northwest Harvest—to be an organization that stands unflinchingly with those who experience the oppressive effects of sudden tragedy or the lasting impact of inequality.

I invite each of you to stand with us.