By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium

Behind every door in our community, there’s a story – parents skipping meals so their children can eat, seniors choosing between medicine and groceries, and hardworking families stretching every dollar at the grocery store. While some gather joyfully around full dinner tables, others face the quiet worry of uncertainty. But through our local food banks, these stories find new chapters of hope, offering not just meals but a bridge to brighter tomorrows and a reminder that our community cares.

In order to help address these issues, the Puget Sound Energy (PSE) Foundation recently awarded $250,000 in grants to 71 nonprofit organizations that are working to increase food security for their communities. The funding supports everything from large-scale food distribution centers, hyper-local neighborhood food pantries, programs that prepare and deliver meals for seniors, and summer food programs for youth and their families.

Food security, which is defined as having consistent access to enough safe and nutritious food for an active and healthy life, remains a critical issue for a growing number of households across Washington State.

According to advocates, there are several factors that contribute to this ongoing challenge, including rising food costs, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and cuts to federal or state food assistance programs that many local nonprofit organizations rely on to provide the necessary resources to help address the problem.

“Food insecurity is an increasing issue throughout the state and within Kitsap County. Food and housing costs continue to rise, and the federal budget being debated in Congress threatens to cut SNAP (food stamps), Medicare, and Medicaid,” said Charlie Thompson, executive director of Fishline. “These cuts, if enacted, will only worsen an already difficult situation. But, together, with community support, we will be able to continue coordinating basic needs in extraordinary ways.”

While there is a tremendous need across the board, many ethnic and immigrant communities are disproportionately impacted by access to schools, and organizations like the Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) are vital to filling these gaps.

“At the ACRS Food Bank, we provide more than just food, we offer culturally familiar staples that reflect the diets of Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Many of our food bank visitors are immigrants or refugees facing language barriers, isolation, and financial hardship. Rising costs, tariffs, fewer donations, and federal funding cuts have made it harder to source essentials like rice, tofu, and noodles. Which are everyday items for the people we serve,” said Miguel Saldin, Nutrition Program Manager for ACRS. “These are challenges many general food banks don’t always face. Support from organizations and individuals helps us continue meeting these unique needs while also connecting our clients to the critical services they rely on.”

Some of the organizations supported by the PSE Foundation funding include:

• King County – Alimentando al Pueblo, Asian Counseling & Referral Service, Auburn Food Bank, Covington Storehouse, Food Lifeline, Hopelink, Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank, Living Well Kent, Maple Valley Food Bank, Multi-Service Center, NW Harvest, Renewal Food Bank, Skykomish Food Bank, Snoqualmie Valley Food Bank, The Silent Task Force, University of Washington Foundation Any Hungry Husky Food Pantry, and Vashon Maury Community Foodbank.

• Kitsap County – Bremerton Backpack Brigade, Bremerton Foodline, Central Kitsap Foodbank, Fishline Foodbank, and South Kitsap Helpline.

• Pierce County – Armed Services YMCA Pacific Northwest Food Pantry, Emergency Food Network, Gig Harbor Peninsula FISH, Good Roots Northwest, Making a Difference Foundation, Nourish Pierce County, Orting Foodbank, Puyallup Foodbank, and Sumner Community Foodbank.

• Snohomish County – Edmonds Food Bank, Foundation for Edmonds School District, Hope Creek Charitable Foundation, Lake Stevens Community Food Bank Association, Lynnwood Food Bank, Sky Valley Food Bank, and Volunteers of America Western WA.

• Thurston County – 4 the Love Foundation, All Kids Win, ROOF, South Puget Sound Community College Food Pantry, Tenino Community Service Center Food Bank Plus, and Thurston County Foodbank.     Emily Scott, Executive Director of Vashon Maury Community Food Bank, says that the funding comes at a great time for the organization.

“The Vashon Food Bank is committed to offering a wide variety of groceries along with multiple ways to receive them, including onsite shopping, home delivery, and curbside pickup. This flexible program model is designed to increase accessibility and to offer customers the most dignified experience possible that meets their household needs,” said Scott. “In July of 2025, we will break ground on a new facility, two blocks outside of Vashon town, close to other amenities, and on the only bus line, and become part of a Community Resource Hub that will offer a wide variety of social services. This new campus will increase accessibility even more and help to increase the resiliency of our entire community.”

PSE Foundation is proud to help elevate the voices and work of our partners, understand their challenges, and provide funding resources so that they can continue to provide healthy and culturally appropriate meals for every hungry person in our region.

“We greatly appreciate Puget Sound Energy for investing in food security here in Tacoma,” said Ahndrea Blue, President/CEO of the Making A Difference Foundation.