Food bank visits are up 70% since 2019, and even with SNAP benefits reinstated, many families still struggle to keep food on the table. Costs continue to rise, donations have dipped as everyday expenses increase, and the loss of federal support has left a system that was already stretched pushed even further.

“Right now, we’re seeing more families and elders struggling to meet their basic food needs,” says Arvin Batingan, creative director, marketing & events at That Brown Girl Cooks!. Its Community Kitchen has been serving meals since 2020, but the need continues to grow even as funding cuts have forced the team to scale back. “Many of our neighbors are finding that a single unexpected bill or a slow week at work can lead to real hardship.”

PCC Community Markets reports the same trend. “We’re seeing a sustained and growing need for food support across the region,” says Mike Wenrick, the co-op’s director of purpose. “Community partners are telling us that more families are turning to food banks, pantries, mutual aid groups, and meal programs, not just those who have used these services before. Many neighbors who are working full-time are still struggling to keep food on the table.”

To help meet that demand the week before Thanksgiving, PCC, Cascadia Produce, United Indians of All Tribes Foundation (UIATF), and Communion Restaurant & Bar are teaming up this week to distribute free food boxes and host community meals. Each box includes fresh produce, culturally relevant pantry staples, baked goods, spices, and gift cards to Seattle Farmers Markets. UIATF will distribute boxes on Friday, Nov. 21. On Saturday, Nov. 22 from 4-8 p.m., chef Kristi Brown of Communion and That Brown Girl Cooks! will host a dinner at Métier Brewing (on Cherry Street) and hand out Thanksgiving boxes.

More than 900,000 Washington residents receive SNAP benefits, a number that shows how deeply families across the state depend on food assistance. United Indians of All Tribes Foundation works with many of those families, where food access intersects with broader systemic challenges. “It’s a multi-income, multifamily problem,” says Nicole Demmert, Haida and Tlingit, director of operations and revenue at UIATF. “This problem isn’t limited to the less fortunate; it is limited to those subject to systemic abuse.”

This week’s distributions are expected to help several hundred households, including 275 families receiving PCC-packed boxes filled with products donated by Cairnspring Mills, Ellenos, Macrina Bakery, Patagonia Provisions, Frontier Co-op, and other local producers. The community dinner will reach additional households through an on-site meal.

Donations from local producers in Washington remain strong, backed by a wide network of organizations working on food access. “No one should be hungry. We have more than enough food to feed everyone,” says Jeremy Vrablik, owner of Cascadia Produce. But one of the ongoing challenges is getting that support into the community equitably.

“No single organization can solve hunger,” Wenrick says, “but collective action, co-ops, nonprofits, growers, funders, and neighbors, truly makes a difference.”

If you want to support this work, you can donate through Harvest Against Hunger, which directs 100% of contributions to hunger-relief groups across the region.