Food and Nutrition

Striving for Better Nutrition in Food Assistance Programs

In Okanogan County, the box or bag of food pantry clients receive each week reflects some thought and planning about the nutritional value of the foods that go into the box.  Can we do better?  Yes.  

Working for a New Nutrition Policy

Recently, Okanogan County Community Action Council teamed up with the Washington Food Coalition (WFC) and the American Heart Association to write and adopt a nutrition policy to guide purchases, donation procurement and distribution to nine county food pantries that support the food needs of 11,000 individuals each month. The policy utilizes the Healthy Eating Research Nutrition Guidelines (HER) as a tool to guide their distribution of nutritious, culturally relevant foods that support positive and healthy outcomes by sourcing from the local food ecosystem and investing back in the local economy. Although we are not 100% there yet, we are making strides every day to do better, through educating food pantries and clients, purchasing fresh produce from local farms directly and thoroughly researching new food distributors as we begin to partner with them. 

The policy was adopted in December 2022 and will provide internal guidance toward purchasing local, sustainable foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-sodium options from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), female or veteran owned farms and businesses when possible. The policy also directs OCCAC to avoid purchasing items that detract from good heart health, such as sugar-sweetened beverages and candy. To ensure the foods we are distributing meet the needs of our community, OCCAC regularly solicits feedback to identify foods that align with community requests and help address pervasive cardiovascular risk factors within rural communities by referencing the HER guidelines.  

Okanogan County Community Action and The American Heart Association

Community Action and The American Heart Association connected through the Washington Food Coalition’s (WFC) Registered Dietician nutrition consultant who works through shared goals to create healthier, more equitable food environments as reflected in WFC’s Health Centered Food Banking Project. The Washington Food Coalition and The American Heart Association provided stipend funds to compensate OCCAC’s time as well as translated nutrition education materials in Spanish and English. 

The American Heart Association is committed to addressing rural health inequities and has issued a call to action to improve the health of rural populations by addressing the social determinants of health to reduce urban-rural disparities, investing in research, supporting policy reform and developing rural-specific, community-guided solutions. 

Beyond tackling food access challenges, Okanogan County Community Action Council offers a growing portfolio of community services that address overlapping needs that impact health, including financial assistance for rental and energy payments, veteran support services and housing access. 

By occacc5_wp, ago

More Food Needed for More People in Need

By Rena Shawver, Executive Director, Okanogan County Community Action Council (OCCAC)

It’s hard to imagine food shortages in a community like ours which is surrounded by agriculture.  But food scarcity is real in Okanogan County.  

The number of county residents relying on food assistance grew from 8,000 in 2020 to 11,000 in 2022.  While more people rely on food assistance, less food is available.    

Image of donated food for the food bank. Pasta, olive oil, peanut butter, canned goods and beans.
Food shortages means more food donations are needed. Shelf stable items like crackers, pasta and canned goods are always a welcome site at the food pantries.

Why is this happening?   

Several things contribute to the need for food and the food shortages occurring in our community:    

Poverty.  Lack of living-wage jobs, inflation, and systems that hold people in poverty all contribute to an increasing number in need of food assistance. One in three Okanogan residents used one of the nine food pantries in the county last year.

Rising cost of transporting food. Trucking food supplies to rural areas is getting more and more expensive with rising fuel costs; one reason cited by Second Harvest in Spokane for cutting food distribution to Okanogan last November. Last year, Second Harvest provided 511,000 pounds of staple foods like meat, poultry, and fresh produce to Okanogan County; between $50,000-$100,000 for Hunger Relief monthly.  Although Second Harvest has resumed providing food to Okanogan County, OCCAC now needs to travel to Wenatchee twice a month to pick the food up.  So, the cost of transportation has been shifted to rural communities; an added expense not adequately covered by funding sources.

Processing systems. About 200 food processing facilities operate in Washington State, mostly processing fruits, vegetables, and seafood.  Much of the food processed here is sold out of state, sometimes only to return to local markets. Meats must be processed and packaged by a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certified facility, which there are none in Okanogan County.  Foods grown in Okanogan and processed elsewhere increases the price of the food and decreases the nutritional quality of the food.  Trucking food long distances increase carbon emissions, and the county loses the opportunity to use that food locally.

Storage. As the distribution center for the county’s nine food pantries, OCCAC does not have a food-storage warehouse, which is sorely needed. The ability to store shelf-staple food would allow OCCAC to better manage food distribution across the county, especially during shortages.  Further, the county needs a Food Hub to actively manage the collection, distribution, and marketing of food products from local and regional producers, to strengthen their ability to satisfy wholesale, retail and institutional demand for food pantries, hospitals, and schools.   

Bureaucracy. While we don’t want to bite the hand that feeds us, lack of attention to the food scarcity issues between big agriculture and government is getting in the way. The issues involved are complex, to be sure, but contribute to food scarcity in an agriculturally rich America.  We must urge our elected leaders to take food shortages for humans seriously, explore the systems that lead to food scarcity, and to preserve the funding for food assistance programs, like SNAP (food stamps), that support one in four Americans.

The bottom line is that our food systems are broken. 

What can be done?

While OCCAC and others make our community’s needs known to those who can make significant change including the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), NW Harvest, elected officials, and the USDA, we also need to come together as a community to take care of our own.

Your cash and food donations make a difference.

Since Second Harvest dropped deliveries to Okanogan County in November, donations have been pouring into OCCAC.  Save the Children provided $25,000; United Health Care provided $35,000, and Okanogan County came to the rescue with $200,000. These funds will help food pantries purchase foods through local grocers through March while WSDA, our major supplier of food for Hunger Relief programs, works the shortage issue.

Private donations in December reached an all-time high of nearly $20,000 with $5,000 coming from the 12 Tribes Casino and a few private donations of $1,000-$2,000.  Contributions of $25-$200 increased as well; these are the most heartfelt donations as they come from people who are not wealthy, but care about their neighbors.  

Local grocers have increased their donations of food and some businesses and organizations are running food drives.  Students from the Okanogan School District ran a Penny Drive for the food pantries and turned in a check for $352.52.  These contributions are significant and add up.

We are grateful and appreciate all the community support.  Although this recent food crisis raised an eyebrow to a continuing issue, ongoing support is needed year-round.  

If you would like to help, contact OCCAC at 509-422-4041 about a food drive or go to www.occac.com/donate to donate.

By occacc5_wp, ago