The Rising Cost of ENDing Weekend Hunger in 2026

Volunteers efficiently load crates of food into cars, preparing to distribute meals to children for the weekend.

Every Monday morning at 7AM, freight trucks start pulling into a gloomy warehouse parking lot in SODO. Like clockwork, volunteers arrive ready to help us feed 5,300 kids in 107 schools for another weekend. They move tall pallets of rice bowls, bags with enough breakfast bars to last all weekend, and double-check our inventory of goldfish crackers. It's not glamorous or particularly complicated, but it's meaningful and

rewarding. "You're packing something a hungry kid is going to open," — Cait, a regular volunteer.

For this crew of 150 volunteers, that simple truth is all the motivation they need to keep showing up week after week. Before a weekend hunger bag reaches a child, there is an enormous amount of work happening behind the scenes. Our Program Manager, Hoyt, spends his days working closely with suppliers, navigating supply chain challenges, negotiating pricing, and carefully managing every dollar. Week after week, he’s focused on one thing: making sure the 5,300 kids who rely on our weekend food program continue to receive the meals they count on.

Program Manager and Subject Matter Expert for this article

Ask him how it's going, and after a tired chuckle, he'll ask if you've been to the gas pump lately. The reality is, rising costs affect every part of our operation. "Think of all the work that goes into bringing freight to our doors," Hoyt explains. "You need to produce the food and ship it to a distributor. You need warehouse workers to receive the items, then you need workers to assemble the pallets. After that you need a truck and a driver to go across the country. Any cost increase in that process ends up on us."

Creating Stability in an Unstable Food System

We are all bewildered by the rising cost of living in WA. According to the Washington Roundtable Report, "Over the past decade, consumer spending per person in Washington increased nearly 55% from 2015 to 2024," with food costs seeing a 50% increase. 

Families are feeling the price increases the most. According to the Urban Institute, WA is the “7th most expensive place to buy groceries in the nation, costing families of 4 an average of $1,184 a month.” Backpack Brigade is at the nexus of rising food costs. Not only have we been receiving more requests for support than ever, but our own operational costs have taken a hit.

Hoyt describes the layers of challenges our operation faces. "Worker shortages caused by poor labor practices in the shipping industry drop the stock, and politics impact oil prices making it more expensive to have anything shipped, which increases any existing product costs. Mix all this together and the veggie fried rice that students love now costs nearly double what it used to."

How does Hoyt combat rising costs? "We have to adapt quickly," he explains — menu items shift; emergency calls to Costco reps are made, and last-minute donations help fill gaps. But when it comes down to how we keep our promise to the kids we serve, the answer is our monthly donors. Maya Azimioara, Backpack Brigade's Director of Development, isn't afraid to be direct: "Reliable monthly support ensures that thousands of kids can count on us to show up for them week after week."

Community that can withstand change

True to his values, Hoyt ends his reflection with empathy despite the challenging situation: "I'm not blaming the people I work with; they work hard to get us what we need. Vendors cut all the corners they can to ensure we get the best price. But they can't change the price of gas that goes in the truck, or labor shortages, or even the cost of parts for truck maintenance. All of this ends up on our invoices."

What keeps the operation moving isn't a government contract or a guaranteed budget line — it's a community that has decided these kids will not face hunger over the weekend. For many of the 5,300 students we serve, there is no backup plan. No second program waiting in the wings, no other bag going home with them on Friday. Backpack Brigade exists because a gap exists, and every donor, volunteer, and partner who shows up is choosing to fill it. In a food system defined by instability, that kind of consistent, community-powered commitment is what actually creates change.

You can be part of the solution by becoming a monthly donor, increasing your monthly giving amount, or joining our volunteer packers and drivers.