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.
Share the Harvest: Feed Families, Support Farms
Helpline House Volunteers Ready to Share the Harvest of Kevin Block's Lettuces
Farmhouse Organics with Lianne Ristow, Helpline House Food Bank Manager
Federal funding cuts to both farmers and food banks in our region have caused significant disruptions that have created a critical situation affecting some of our most vulnerable neighbors.
As we've learned through conversations with Lianne Restow, Food Bank Manager at Helpline House:
Commodities funding has been reduced by 40%.
The food bank has had to reduce the number of visits families can make from four times per week to just once due to shortages.
Supplies from Food Lifeline and Northwest Harvest have been nearly eliminated—recent deliveries included mostly snacks like potato chips and candy.
Over 400 families now visit the food bank weekly, and more than 625 low-income households rely on Helpline’s services.
The number of households served has doubled in the past two years.
Simultaneously, the elimination of federal programs such as the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) has placed significant financial strain on local farmers, many of whom had planned on this revenue to sustain operations and provide food to the community.
Friends of the Farms Executive Director with 73 Pounds of Sugar Snap Peas for the Helpline House Food Bank
In response, Friends of the Farms is proud to launch Share the Harvest, a direct-to-food bank program that sources food from local farmers and brings it straight to the shelves of Helpline House.
With the deep cuts to funding and rising community need, we need your help. Your donation funds the purchase of farm-fresh produce, dairy, and meat — providing healthy good food to neighbors in need while sustaining our agricultural community.
Make a gift. Make a difference.
Thank you Rotary for your $5,000 grant kicking off our Share the Harvest campaign. You walk the talk, putting service above self, supporting nonprofits, and investing in a resilient, healthy Bainbridge Island
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