A measure in the Washington State Legislature would provide free school meals to K-12 students, but nutrition service workers are worried they are not being considered.

The American Federation of Teachers of Washington represents kitchen workers and is supportive of the bill, but the union said lawmakers also need to ensure there is enough staff to provide the meals.

Kristine Bengochea, kitchen manager for the Northshore School District in King and Snohomish counties, said staffing is a key component of the effort.

"With this new bill coming up, we are so concerned with how many actual workers there will be available to feed all the children," Bengochea noted.

Bengochea pointed out her kitchen has about nine workers and serves 300-400 students daily. The measure is meant to extend a federal policy from the pandemic, which allowed all students to receive meals. The office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, which requested the legislation, did not respond to a request for comment.

Based on the pandemic, AFT Washington expects the number of students it feeds to double from before COVID-19. Bengochea recalled the pandemic was a hard experience for many workers.

"We burned out so quickly with the workers that we had, and this year the workers have either retired early or just didn't come back," Bengochea explained. "We're afraid that's going to happen again with this bill coming out."

The Committee on Early Learning and K-12 Education passed the measure this week. The House version is scheduled for an executive session in the Committee on Education today.

A North Dakota initiative that invites hunters to donate some of their deer meat to hunger relief sites has been in place for two decades now. Recent years have seen varying results but officials said there are new opportunities to help more households.

Sportsmen Against Hunger brings together hunters around the state willing to set aside of a portion of their game meat so struggling households have greater access to nutritious protein. Designated meat processors play a role in getting the product to local food shelves.

Holly Papineau, program director for the Community Action Partnership of North Dakota, which oversees the program, said demand for assistance remains high.

"Food pantries are already stretched thin," Papineau pointed out. "The benefits from the influx of donated venison reduces the reliance on costly grocery store purchases."

Papineau noted a positive they have seen is the record number of processors around the state joining the initiative. They're now up to 14 but still need help in the Williston region out west. Last year, 931 pounds of meat was donated, a drop compared to the previous year. Papineau warned it reflects the fluctuating numbers of hunting licenses sought each year, due to a variety of factors.

Wildlife diseases and waning interest among younger generations are often cited as reasons why fewer hunting licenses are being purchased. Papineau emphasized for those who still hunt, there is an opportunity to help those living nearby, because the meat processing network is pretty robust, keeping donations local.

"If it's donated in Fargo, it stays in Fargo, if it's donated in Dickinson, it stays in Dickinson," Papineau outlined.

Papineau stressed they keep food safety in mind by not accepting unauthorized game meat, not processed by a licensed shop. The program takes in deer, elk and moose meat but doesn't accept waterfowl, including geese.

People will gather over the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends to count their blessings.

While the holiday feast is plentiful for many, some people fear a lack of food access leaves them with little to celebrate.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last week that food providers in predominantly rural, remote, and underserved communities in the state will receive an additional $500 million to purchase fruits, vegetables, and nuts to stock their food pantries.

USDA Undersecretary Jennifer Moffitt stressed the purchasing power of Hoosier local food banks and pantries.

"They're able to buy what the community needs, and they're able to buy from local farmers and ranchers, which supports regional economies as well." said Moffitt. "For Indiana, $12 million has been going through the Department of Agriculture to food banks and pantries in the region."

The $500 million is in addition to $1.5 billion in funding since 2022 for emergency food providers nationwide.

Moffitt said the funding is about connecting farmers and food with the Emergency Food Network to bring that product to local communities.

This will enable farmers to sell their products at a good price to food banks and pantries, grocery stores, and restaurants.

The Indiana Department of Agriculture reports there are 94,000 farmers in Indiana.

Victor Garcia is president and CEO of the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana.

He said the demand for the organization's food supply is still operating at the same elevated levels that it did during the pandemic.

And just like consumers who face inflationary challenges at the grocery store, he said the food bank is feeling those same pressures.

"Unfortunately, the food bank relies on purchased food - as well as USDA products and donated food to support the various programs that we offer," said Garcia. "But with the rise in cost of food, we are unable to source as much food as there is in demand."

Additional funding for programs like the local Food Purchase Assistance Program or the Emergency Food Assistance Program, he added, helps decrease the gap in terms of food inventory.

Garcia said the Northwest Indiana food pantry is seeing on average 60,000 people accessing its services each month.

Supported by federal funding, a nonprofit network is working to ensure Mississippi families have access to the food they will need this winter.

Nearly one in six Mississippians faces food insecurity, according to Feeding America.

Adam Runion, communications coordinator for theMississippi Food Network, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture has a program which allows them to distribute locally grown, fresh produce to more than 400 partner agencies statewide. He said they started with 21 agencies in underserved northwestern delta counties. The funding has helped nearly 5,000 families so far.

"It's able to serve about 200 people at each agency when we started per month, but we've been able to take on more agencies as the program has developed," Runion explained. "That comes out to 4,200 households per month are receiving assistance through this program."

Runion pointed out they offer a variety of programs, including distributing food boxes to qualifying seniors and a backpack program for schools. Students can take the healthy snacks home on weekends, helping to improve their overall health and grades.

Runion added the Mississippi Food Network also offers a monthly mobile pantry, directly serving clients in areas of high need. Funding for the program comes from local organizations.

"In that mobile pantry, we distribute an emergency food box," Runion outlined. "Alongside that, we typically do a protein, which could be anywhere from a chicken to some type of fish, any type of meat. And then, we also try to do fresh vegetables as they're available."

Runion added the network is teaming up with a local television station for a "Turkey Drive" on Thursday. Volunteers will collect donated turkeys and other grocery items outside Kroger stores. Last year, they collected more than 1,100 turkeys and $12,000. This year's goal is to exceed 1,100 turkeys and raise $15,000.


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