Highline community food banks have provided custom Thanksgiving meals just for the community and its people, giving much support and resources for families this year.
In the last few weeks, food banks like the Highline Area Food Bank, The Des Moines Area Food Bank, and the Alimentando Al Pueblo helped over hundreds of families throughout the community.
Over the pandemic there have been increased struggles with food insecurity for families and communities all over the United States causing more and more families to turn to local food banks for help.
“34 million people, including 9 million of those people being children, in the United States are food insecure,” says the USDA.
Many of those families aren’t lucky enough to even get the opportunity to be given access to resources like local food banks. Thankfully, this Thanksgiving season some of our local food banks and pantries helped relieve the stress of food insecurity for hundreds of families in the community.
Highline Area Food Bank is a nonprofit organization founded in 1983 with help from a group of churches. They are partnered with United Way of King County, Food Lifeline, Northwest Harvest, Hunger Stops Here, and BTown Web in spreading the message of feeding those experiencing hunger today.
They provided custom Thanksgiving boxes on Tuesday, November 22 with food and resources just for the Thanksgiving season all throughout the Burien and Highline area.
The Des Moines Area Food Bank, another local nonprofit organization, has been providing food and resources for families in need since 1966. They have been spreading the principles of the wellbeing of the community and principles of food justice, helping the Highline community by partnering with organizations like United Way of King County, Highline College, and The Community Pantry.
The Community Pantry is a local nonprofit organization specifically designed to serve anyone with a current Highline College ID.
This Thanksgiving the pantry provided boxes of grocery foods and drinks on Wednesday, November 23 for Highline College students and community members.
Alimentando Al Pueblo, a local nonprofit organization, as well as the only Latinx food bank in the Highline area, was founded in June of 2020.
Alimentando Al Pueblo was founded by the following founding members: Azucena Seijas, Sandra Simarra, Patricia Palomino, Roxana Pardo Garcia, and Hilda Pardo. Partnering with Colectiva Legal del Pueblo, New Futures of Southwest Youth and Family Services, White Center Community Development Association, Para los Ninos, and Productions.
It is currently being directed by a board of directors including Ana Gamborena, Susana Contrera Mendez, Martha Molina and Executive Director Roxana Pardo Garcia, whose main goals are to strive to create joyful communities.
For Thanksgiving, Alimentando created specific Thanksgiving boxes on Monday, November 21 providing the resources for making food, like tamales. Not only providing boxes of resources and nourishment but a $25 voucher so that families could purchase additional items for the holiday.
It’s a thankful time this year in our community, so take note of the great support and effort our food banks and pantries do for their thousands of friends, families, and neighbors.