“Last year it was more critical than ever to show up and support our neighbors,” said Brenna Davis, PCC’s VP of Social and Environmental Responsibility, in a press release. “We stayed true to our mission of nourishing the communities we serve while cultivating vibrant, local, organic food systems. We leveraged our 30-year food bank program to protect local farms, expanded our program that incubates diverse entrepreneurs by introducing a new grant, and even donated a hand sanitizing station to keep a community partner’s food distribution program operational.”
PCC continued its focus on food access over the course of the year, raising more than $250,000 for the member- and shopper-funded PCC Food Bank Program, which the company reinvented in the face of the pandemic: The program contracted 16 food banks with 14 local family farms that had lost their markets due to COVID, allowing the food banks to purchase food directly from the farms.
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PCC kept its commitment to farms in other ways as well, including the co-op’s ongoing partnership with Washington Farmland Trust and its Organic Producer Grants. PCC provided financial support to the Farmland Trust to help it protect threatened farmland across the state, while the Grants supported projects that will make a positive impact on the environment and/or the recipients’ workforce and operational needs.PCC is further supporting its communities via partnerships with organizations like Ventures—the two companies worked together to support entrepreneurs and small local businesses through a six-week Scaling for Success training and mentorship program. Through that partnership, PCC also introduced a Diverse Entrepreneur Grant to support BIPOC, female, and LGBTQIAP+ business owners through microgrants. PCC sold products from Ventures’ entrepreneurs, and has also sold products that benefitted Center for Whale Research, Long Live the Kings, and several farm-to-school programs.
Those looking to access PCC programs can visitPCC Giving.
