Seattle, WA—PCC Community Markets has awarded $30,000 to nonprofits addressing food insecurity across the downtown Seattle community, according to a press release.

“Native people have a rich history of healthy food systems that were disrupted from centuries of policies to remove us from our traditional lands and ways,” said Socia Love-Thurman, MD, Chief Health Officer of the Seattle Indian Health Board. “We raise our hands up to PCC for providing this partnership to care for our families in a good way, that will empower our relatives through access to a healthy food while in community with others.”

$5,000 was awarded to each of the following nonprofits:
  • Asian Counseling and Referral Service
  • Northwest Harvest’s SODO Community Market
  • Pike Place Market Foundation
  • Pike Market Senior Center and Food Bank
  • Puget Sound Labor Agency Food Bank
  • Seattle Indian Health Board
“Last year we provided 1.4 million meals to neighborhood food bank and grocery rescue partners and we know there is still much more work to do this year,” said Brenna Davis, PCC’s VP of Social and Environmental Responsibility. “We learned through our outreach to the Downtown community that the need for emergency food services has never been greater. Through this program we were able to connect with a range of services—some who are typically overlooked when it comes to food access.”

The community is still struggling with COVID-19-related challenges, such as the rate of food insecurity in King County nearly doubling in 2020.

Roy McCree, Northwest Harvest’s SODO Community Market Manager, commented in the press release: “The pandemic is continuing to wreak havoc on our communities here in Washington. So is hunger. Fresh fruit and vegetables are essential to good health yet can too often be out of reach for people experiencing economic insecurity. This support from PCC will enable us to procure more fresh produce, increasing access to healthy fruits and vegetables for hundreds of people who visit our SODO Community Market each week.”

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The PCC Downtown Seattle Food Access Grant program is a result of conversations the co-op had with the community when discussing the upcoming opening of PCC’s Downtown location, now slated to occur in early 2022.

“We are grateful to receive this generous grant that will go toward supporting community members in need in Asian, Pacific Islander and other underserved communities,” said G de Castro, Director of ACRS Aging and Adult Services. “During these continued uncertain and challenging times, every bit—both big and small—go a long way, and we deeply appreciate the partnership with PCC to continue serving the community.”

Lillian Sherman, Executive Director of the Pike Place Market Foundation, added: “We are grateful to our partners at PCC for supporting our food access programs at Pike Place Market that make farm fresh produce and protein available to our neighbors living on low and fixed incomes. Access to fresh, healthy food in the Market nourishes our community and supports our local farmers—it’s a win-win for everyone.”