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Eating with kids

White Center Food Bank caters to the diverse needs of neighborhood residents.

No more hungry kids

I know what it’s like to stare at an empty cupboard; here’s how you can help

by TAMARA GANE / photos by JOSHUA HUSTON

We’re heading into food

drive season. The time of year when bins at grocery stores and notes in children’s backpacks remind us that some members of our community are less fortunate than others and ask us to help if we can. I have mixed feelings about this. With so much need around us, any effort to help our neighbors is important, but I hate to see the holidays branded as the only giving season. Food insecurity is an issue that won’t go away after the lights and festive decorations come down.

I know firsthand what it feels like to stare at an empty cupboard. To gather up all the change from the top of the washing machine and the cushions of your couch and realize you still don’t have enough money to buy milk for your child. Twenty years ago, I relied on my local food CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >

„ Join the Kids Supper Club on the Seattle’s Child app » seattleschild.com/app

Around town Cool spots for hot chocolate

There’s nothing like sharing a cup of hot chocolate with your kids on a cold day. Check out these sweet options:

3Bakery Nouveau This delicious hot cocoa is made from handcrafted chocolate. 4737 California Ave. SW, bakerynouveau.com 3The Dining Room at Salish Lodge “Kid’s Coffee” is hot chocolate covered with whipped cream and sprinkles. 6501 Railroad Ave. SE, Snoqualmie, salishlodge.com 3Zoka Coffee Impress your kids with hot chocolate topped with artistic foam art. 129 Central Way, Kirkland, zokacoffee.com 3Proper Joe Coffeehouse The pros here make sure their hot cocoa is just the right temperature for your little ones. 1101 1st St., Snohomish, facebook. com/ProperJoe 3Valhalla Coffee The most decadent hot chocolate in Tacoma is made with local favorite Tease Chocolates. 3918 6th Ave., Tacoma, valhallacoffee.com — Tamara Gane

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bank for help feeding my son.

I was a single mom, working as a receptionist, and every month I was handed a box full of food by volunteers at my local food bank. It was mostly staples: items like dried macaroni, eggs, pancake mix, powdered milk and peanut butter, which helped me stretch my meager paycheck further at the grocery store and keep my son’s stomach full.

These donations were especially helpful when unexpected expenses arose, like car repairs or a higher-than-normal utility bill. For me, the assistance I received from the food bank was no more vital during the holidays then it was the rest of the year.

“The vast majority of our customers are regulars,” says Marelle Habenicht, executive director of the White Center Food Bank. “There’s no particular time of year that we need more help than others.”

According to Northwest Harvest, a nonprofit food bank distributor that provides close to 2 million meals a month to hungry Washingtonians through their network of 275 food banks, high-need schools, and meal programs, 1 in 9 Washingtonians are fighting hunger.

If you’re in a position to support your local food bank, Habenicht says cash donations are the best way to help: “With the cooperation and partnership of many local vendors, White Center Food Bank is able to stretch a dollar much further than the average person.”

If you prefer to donate food, Northwest Harvest suggests “shelf-stable foods with the lowest saturated fats, and refined carbohydrates such as white flour and sugar.” Since they buy oats, white rice, beans, tomato products and pasta in bulk, they encourage the public to donate other nonperishables instead.

This holiday season, it’s important to remember local families in need, and to keep remembering those families year-round. q whitecenterfoodbank.org q northwestharvest.org

How you can help Keeping food banks stocked year-round

Cash is the best way to help, but Northwest Harvest’s website lists the following items they most urgently need, ranked by importance: • Beef stew, chili and similar meals with low salt, sugar and saturated fats • Canned fruit, especially with low sugar (but not artificial sweeteners) • Canned fish or meat • Peanut butter (plastic jars are preferred) • Canned vegetables (low sodium) • Brown rice • Whole grain pasta • Canned tomato sauces • Shelf-stable milk • Infant and baby foods:

Baby formula, jars of baby food, powdered or canned milk, infant cereal. They also accept baby diapers.

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