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The Hunger Relief Now! Plan

In the summer of 2008, King County's emergency food system began experiencing a rapid increase in demand for services. This is thought to be one of the first signs of the economic downturn in our community. In response to the growing need, United Way of King County worked with community partners to develop the Hunger Relief Now! Plan, a set of 12 strategies to reduce hunger in King County.
View current strategies and results >>

Data from the Hunger Relief Now! Plan shows:

  • One in eight Americans does not have access to enough food.
  • A growing number of people in King County need help with food. The daily number of calls asking for help with food received by the King County 2-1-1 increased 53 percent from September 2007 to December 2008.
  • About 55 percent of seniors and people with disabilities in public housing in Seattle are food insecure or hungry. Poverty, disability, limited mobility and inability to access grocery stores and food banks are identified as primary contributing factors.
  • Nearly 45 percent of the individuals using a food bank, meal program or shelter in western Washington have some form of post-secondary education. Only 15 percent are homeless.
  • Based on data from Seattle food banks, the largest increase in food bank beneficiaries in 2008 was for children 0-2, followed by other children under 18.

Consequences of hunger:

  • Poor developmental outcomes for kids.
  • Decreased well-being and productivity among adults.
  • Compromised health of seniors.
  • Financial cost to communities. An exhaustive study of the costs of hunger estimated that the United States pays more than $90 billion annually for the direct and indirect costs of health, productivity and quality of life issues caused by hunger.

Why are people hungry?

  • Food stamps and other public benefits are going unused. In King County more than 35 percent of people eligible for food stamps are not claiming them.
  • Households with very low incomes simply cannot afford what it costs to provide basic needs, especially in areas such as King County where housing costs are very high and require a high proportion of income.
  • Racial disparities.
  • Families often start a downward spiral with loss of a job or a major medical problem.

Hunger Free King County Strategies and Results through December 2009:
The Hunger plan laid out 12 strategies for addressing hunger in King County. Here's how we're doing:

Strategy Results
1. Immediate Outreach effort to enroll the lowest income and most vulnerable people into the food stamp program.
  • WithinReach has made 16,000+ outreach contacts and filled out 2,900+ applications for Basic Food and other benefits.
  • Bridge to Basics program launched October 2009. 70 volunteers were trained and deployed to connect families with public benefits.
2. Feed hungry seniors, people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness and homebound people via meal programs and home delivery.
  • United Way awarded $250,000 to increase the capacity of eight home delivery providers in July 2009.
3. Serve more meals to low-income children this summer through summer meal programs.
  • The Seattle Foundation Building Resilience Fund invested in School's Out Washington to increase the number of summer meals in 2009 and 2010.
4. Meet critical equipment, staffing and transportation needs for food banks, meal programs and home delivery programs.
  • January 2009: United Way provided funding through the Response for Basic Needs to increase the capacity of 23 food banks and meal programs.
  • United Way awarded $130,000 in emergency food system capacity building grants, July 2009, to 11 agencies.
  • Through the Response for Basic Needs, United Way will increase the capacity of more than 50 food banks and meal programs.
5. Increase enrollment of pregnant women, infants and young children in the WIC nutrition program.
  • In progress
6: Strengthen marketing, outreach, technology and state processing for food stamp program and other public benefits.
  • Working with Gates Foundation, Philanthropy Northwest, City of Seattle, Medina Foundation and state of Washington on WA Access to Benefits Project.
7. Strengthen and coordinate the community-based food system.
  • United Way is developing a Volunteer Impact Program for Hunger Relief Organizations.
  • United Way is realigning $1 million in outcome funding to support the Hunger Relief Now! plan.
8. Increase the number of low-income students who eat a healthy breakfast and lunch at school.
  • In progress
9. Sign up more child care providers for federal child care food program.
  • In progress
10. Increase nutritional value of food for all strategies in this plan.
  • United Way is exploring relationship with farmers markets in King County to incentivize utilization of food stamps to purchase nutritional food.
11. Form a King County Hunger Reduction Council to reach shared goals and measure progress.
  • United Way is convening and staffing this group. It started meeting monthly beginning in fall 2009 to discuss plan implementation.
12. Engage community leaders in advocacy efforts to increase resources and effect meaningful policy changes.
  • First Hunger Action Week held April 2009.
  • United Way held a "Give 10" campaign in December 2010 to raise funds for hunger relief.
  • Second Hunger Action Week planned for January 25 - 29, 2010.
  • United Way is providing support for the Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition.
  • Initial meeting with legislators scheduled for the summer of 2009. Hunger Action Day in Olympia in planned for January 29, 2010.