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Rep. Bob Hasegawa, serving the 11th District Serving parts of South Seattle including Beacon Hill, Georgetown, South Park, Allentown, Boulevard Park, part of North Highline Unincorporated Area, Burien, City of Sea-Tac, all of Tukwila and Southcenter, the southern and eastern parts of Renton, Fairwood, Benson Hill and adjacent unincorporated areas of King County. |
White Center Food Bank and NW Harvest to get tons of potatoes
November 17, 2008
OLYMPIA— 35,000 lbs of potatoes are travelling to Western Washington all
the way from the Hirai Farms in Moses Lake on Wednesday, November 19.
The first stop, to drop off 5,000 lbs of potatoes is scheduled around 11
am at the White Center Food Bank, and the remaining 30,000 lbs (about 15
tons) will then be taken to the Northwest Harvest Central Warehouse in
Kent for further distribution.
“Those in our community who are struggling to feed themselves and their
families will get a break thanks to this generous donation. While these
are hard times for everybody, the fact that the potatoes will be
delivered just a week before Thanksgiving, makes it even more special,”
said Rep. Bob Hasegawa (D-Seattle, 11th Legislative
District), who was the liaison between the farm on the eastside and the
food bank in western Washington. “It all began this summer when I
was part of a business tour and Blaine Hirai and I got to talking about
doing something to help folks in need on this side of the mountains.”
Blaine Hirai, a Washington State farmer who is active in several
charitable causes and organizations, has done significant work to
address issues involving the educational, nutritional and housing needs
of minority and disadvantaged communities in Washington State. He has
become a strong advocate of helping to provide the necessary elements
and opportunities to those who have been deprived or have been placed in
unfortunate circumstances.
“In
today’s economic climate, it is getting increasingly difficult for many
people to feed their families. When Rep. Bob Hasegawa told me that the
White Center Food Bank needed food, I felt that as a farmer it was
important I do something to help. I am happy to work with our
state legislators to make this critical donation of potatoes,” said
Hirai, whose strong family tradition of
giving back to local communities in the Pacific Northwest is made
possible through Hirai Farms and their non-profit charitable
organization, Annie’s Fun.
“During these challenging economic times, more and more families in my district are turning to food banks to make ends meet. Meanwhile, it is harder for working families to make the charitable contributions to worthy organizations like the White Center Food Bank and Northwest Harvest,” said Rep. Sharon Nelson (D-West Seattle, 34th Legislative District). “I am extremely pleased that Hirai Farms has chosen to help meet this huge need in our community.”
Rick Jump, White Center Food Bank Executive Director said that in just one year there has been a 70 percent increase in the number of families they serve, “so this will make a huge impact in the community; a donation of this magnitude makes a serious difference and we’re very grateful.”
The White Center Food Bank’s mission is to minimize hunger while nourishing community, nurturing self-reliance and embracing the area’s rich cultural diversity. It has been helping out people in need for over three decades and currently serves more than 1,200 hungry families each month. In 2007, it provided enough food for more than 53,000 individuals including 21,000 children under the age of 18.
Northwest Harvest is Washington’s own statewide hunger relief agency. It secures 18 million pounds of nutritious food each year for distribution to nearly 300 food programs across the state, serving 36 of Washington State’s 39 counties.