White Center Food Bank press release

Three events benefit White Center Food Bank this week, with opportunities for the community to benefit and enjoy local food.

First up, Proletariat Pizza (9622 16th Ave SW) in White Center is celebrating their third anniversary on Tuesday, September 18; as part of the celebration they will donate 30% to White Center Food Bank that evening. Prolatariat is open from 4pm until 9pm. Many thanks to Proletariat for this wonderful donation as part of their celebration.

On Friday, September 21 as part of United Way of King County’s Day of Caring, employees from Microsoft will be at the Westwod QFC (25th Avenue SW and SW Henderson) holding a food drive from 10am until 1pm. Non-perishable foods and cash donations will be accepted – see them outside of the store.

On Saturday, September 22 the Mayor of Burien Brian Bennett will join in the Mayor’s Day of Concern for the Hungry at a food drive sponsored by Grace Church at Burien Albertson’s located at 12725 First Avenue South; Mayor Bennett plans to join volunteers at Albertson’s at noon. Food drive begins and 9am and lasts until 3pm; concurrently Grace Church is hosting an additional food drive at the Morgan Street Thriftway. Non-perishable foods and cash donations will be accepted here as well. The Mayor’s Day of Concern is a King County-wide event, where al mayors work to raise awareness of the growing issue of hunger in all our local communities.

These efforts come at a time when hunger is reaching an all time high in Washington. As reported by the Seattle Times on September 7, hunger in our state nearly doubled since 2008 at the beginning of the recession and shows no signs of stopping as measured by the USDA. Hunger in Washington is now ahead of the national average for the number of households that experience food insecurity. In 2011, White Center Food Bank served over 66,000 individuals and 2012 is on track to serve the same number.