rewrite this title Whatcom County meals banks request funding to fight meals insecurity
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WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A coalition of Whatcom County meals banks are asking for $2 million from the county to fight rising meals insecurity.
The Whatcom County Meals Financial institution Community requested the extra funding in a presentation to the Whatcom County Council throughout their Tuesday assembly.
The community is made up of 13 unbiased nonprofits throughout the world, together with in Bellingham, Lynden, Blaine, Ferndale and Lummi Island.
Bellingham Meals Financial institution Government Director Mike Cohen famous within the presentation that 9,000 households go to Whatcom County meals banks every week, which has greater than doubled since 2021. Cohen says the meals banks will spend $5 million to distribute greater than 8 million kilos of meals to households on this yr alone.
He says the pressing want for extra funding has risen as a result of the banks’ COVID-era American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds are working low.
“All of these funds are getting used for meals purchases proper now and we all know that they’re ending within the close to and rising future,” Cohen mentioned. “We’re right here to speak to you concerning the actuality that hundreds of households throughout Whatcom County are going to face if they arrive to the meals financial institution when these ARPA funds are gone.”
Cohen added that the Meals Financial institution Community can also be making an attempt to attract curiosity from particular person cities throughout the county on receiving extra funding.
Council member Jon Scanlon mentioned the county council might accomplice with cities to assist the community.
“Possibly there’s a technique to have a couple of of us to sit down down with a few of the different cities to see if we will scrounge collectively some funds,” Scanlon mentioned. “We’ve had some very sobering funds conversations right here … however that could be a technique to collaborate.”
Twin Sisters Cell Market, which serves communities in east Whatcom County, additionally requested for $200,000 in funding for meals entry programming throughout a following presentation.
The council didn’t taken motion on both request throughout Tuesday’s committee of the entire assembly.
