our focus : meeting basic needs

Hunger Relief Now! Plan

Hunger Relief Now Plan

United Way of King County's Hunger Relief Now! Plan was developed in late 2008 and early 2009 along with many community partners. It was a response to the deepening recession, and built on United Way’s longstanding commitment to helping meet basic needs for the most vulnerable around us. We are hard at work putting the plan into motion.

The plan outlines twelve action steps, both short- and long-term, that can create a hunger-free community. Facets include:

  • Strengthening the infrastructure of frontline hunger groups. As a donor to United Way you've helped the Chicken Soup Brigade buy a new van to deliver meals to people who are sick and stuck at home. You've helped the Issaquah Meals Program remodel the kitchen where its volunteers prepare meals for 50+ people each night who would otherwise go hungry. You’ve also helped Meals on Wheels replace aging freezers that were starting to fail, interfering with food delivery to housebound older people. Read about other recent grants here.
  • Increasing access to benefits like food stamps. Families who have hit the wall financially may not know where to turn. As a United Way donor, you’re helping struggling people connect to food stamps and other vital public benefits through programs like the volunteer-driven Bridge to Basics.
  • Expanding Summer Meals programs. Thousands of children benefit from free-and-reduced price lunches during the school year, but only 11% take part in the federal free summer lunch program. We’re increasing local capacity to serve more kids, so that growing bodies and brains stay well-nourished.
  • Increasing access to healthy food in places like the Rainier Valley. Low-income neighborhoods often lack access to healthy fresh foods and the cooking skills to prepare them. We’re increasing availability of fresh produce through farmers markets and corner stories, and backing education efforts like “community kitchens” where people can come together, cook, share recipes, and build community. More details are here.


THANK YOU! In addition to help from individual contributors, these efforts also have the generous support of The Boeing Company and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who together made a $1.8 million investment in Spring 2011. Read the press release.

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