Nourish’s second mobile food bank has been approved to participate in the Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP) for 2019-2021!
Nourish launched our second mobile food bank in September 2018, adding new food distribution sites at Mary Bridge Children’s Health Center, Cedarcrest Middle School in the Bethel School District, and at five community and technical colleges. However, the new mobile food bank had to wait to be approved to join the Emergency Food Assistance Program.
At the 2019-2021 Biannual Meeting for Pierce County, held in April in Lakewood, the members voted to approve Nourish’s second mobile food bank as a new participant in the program. All other Nourish food banks are already participants in EFAP.
The Emergency Food Assistance Program helps to alleviate hunger in Washington. It is administered by the Washington State Department of Agriculture and provides funds and information to food banks that provide emergency food services to hungry people. EFAP approved food banks must meet strict participation criteria including providing food at no cost, serving the public in a non-discriminatory manner and not require participation in religious ceremonies in order to receive food.
EFAP participation for our second mobile food bank is an important recognition of the central role that our mobile food banks have in our ability to serve the people in need in Pierce County. For Nourish clients, it will mean that our second mobile food bank can receive the same sort of operating support from EFAP as all other Nourish food banks.
Nourish’s mobile food banks are full-service food banks on wheels. They provide clients with the same amount of food as if they visited one of our fixed location food banks and they use the same self-select service model. Nourish currently has seventeen mobile food bank sites around Pierce County. They are flexible, nimble response to hunger in Pierce County, enabling us to reach more people and provide food directly in communities with limited food options.
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To find the hours of operation for all Nourish Food Banks, visit our Food Bank Locations page.