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Supporting Local Farms.
Advocating for Local Food.
Cultivating Community.
To ensure the future of local farming
and build a healthier community
through a resilient and equitable food ecosystem.
A message from Executive Director, Heather Burger
In the spring of this year I became aware that federal funding that had supported food banks and local farmers was being cut drastically.
Helpline House on Bainbridge Island had just lost 40% of their commodity food purchase funds and funds to purchase locally grown fresh food from farmers was rapidly depleting. Beginning in 2026 $100,000 in annual funding to purchase locally grown food for Kitsap County food bank will be completely eliminated.
Meanwhile, over 400 families depend on Helpline House for food each week - double what it was two years ago. In some cases, Helpline is now providing 70% of the food that some families have.
These are our neighbors - seniors on fixed incomes, single parents, working families, and children.
Driven by a need to act, we created a program called Share the Harvest. It is a simple and direct approach to addressing two converging crises:
Families can’t get the food they need.
Farmers are losing revenue they use to sustain their operations.
We raise money and purchase fresh, nutritious food from local farms, and it is delivered to the food bank as soon as it is harvested.
We are incredibly grateful to the businesses, organizations, and many individuals in our community who have supported Share the Harvest so far. We launched July 3rd and in 14 weeks, purchased and donated over 8,000 pounds of locally grown food. That, in turn, has put much-needed revenue into the hands of our farmers.
But the need is not going away. In fact, it will grow significantly in the coming months and throughout 2026 as the full impact of funding cuts sink in and vulnerable families lose critical safety nets.
Right now, families are counting on us. Farmers are counting on us.
Support Local Farmers.
Feed Every Neighbor.
Strengthen our Island Home.
We all have a stake in our future.
Join us. Donate Today.
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