On January 1st, we kicked off Year 2 of our 5-year strategic growth plan. Our goal this year is to expand within King County, taking on 5 more schools districts and an estimated 2,300 additional kids.Â
It shocks people that here, in Washington’s largest and wealthiest county, approximately 2,000 children experience homelessness on any given night. That number, by the way, is considered a dramatic undercount due to HUD’s narrow definition of homelessness and its counting methodologies. These children remain largely invisible, relying on school to provide the majority of their calories every day through breakfast and lunch programs.Â
Food insecurity isn't confined exclusively to families experiencing extreme poverty and homelessness, however. The dramatic increase in housing prices and food inflation the country as a whole has experienced over the last two years has highlighted the fact that many families may be making the choice between paying the rent and paying for groceries. These are families in our communities – people who live next door, whose children attend school with your children, who you work with or see at the coffee shop every day.
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Happily, King County is full of compassionate and caring people like you who truly believe no child should suffer extended periods of hunger, and with their support, we believe we can END weekend hunger for every kid.

How can you help us reach these additional kids this year? Here are some ideas:
1)     Come Join Us! We have so many fun events scheduled this year to bring together our volunteers, supporters, and donors who care passionately that every kid deserves weekends free of hunger. See our events page, mark your calendars, and come meet likeminded people in this wonderful community!
And if you have even more time, volunteer with us. We always need hands to help prepare, pack, and deliver weekend hunger bags to the kids we serve. This is rewarding work with an immediate impact – and our volunteers are the best in town!
2)     Host a Fundraiser! What better excuse to throw a party than to invite friends to help support an important cause? And if your style is more low-key, host a GoFundMe or even a Facebook Birthday Fundraiser. Getting your friends and famility involved in the fight to end food insecurity for children is a fantastic way to ensure no child has to experience it ever again.
3)     Speaking of letting more people know about us, join us on any of our social media platforms (we’re on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Linked In, and You Tube) and like, share, and repost. Post your own pictures and videos from events you’ve attended or your volunteer shifts using the hashtag #endweekendhunger and tag us! The more you tell people about the causes that matter to you, the more they’ll want to support you.Â
4)     Work with us! We love to collaborate – because this is a community, and together we can effect significant change. If you are an influencer with an audience that cares about kids, if you work at another organization addressing issues of homelessness and hunger among children, if your business is looking to strengthen its social impact, contact us. We want to work together!
The children of King County are facing a crisis, but we as a community are here to tell them they are not alone, they do not have to be hungry, they deserve the same opportunities to grow and thrive as their classmates and friends. Together, we can END weekend hunger for EVERY kid in King County. We can’t wait for you to join us!
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