Northwest Harvest joins Safeway and Albertsons for food bank donations

SEATTLE-- Northwest Harvest partnered with area Safeway and Albertsons stores to collect groceries for local food banks who saw an increased demand during the government shutdown.

Donation bins were set up inside Washington area Safeway and Albertsons stores for shoppers to donate non-perishable foods items.  The collected Items were distributed to valley food banks and pantries who saw shelves empty during the 35 day shutdown.

“Right now, more than a million people in our state are being negatively impacted. And each day the shutdown continues – even more are added to that list,” said Sara Osborne, Safeway’s Public & Government Affairs Director. “Because of this, local food banks – the final safety net when public assistance programs run out of funding – are seeing dramatic increases in demand.”

Several people in Washington rely on food assistance programs from the government.  Northwest Harvest CEO Thomas Reynolds knew the importance rallying the community in this time of need.

“Together, we have the ability to make a huge difference in our community by coming together and helping our neighbors keep food on their tables during this very difficult time," said Reynolds.

Since the shutdown, Northwest Harvest has seen an increase in people visiting local food banks.  “Many of these first-time visitors are families of federal employees," says Reynolds.

Northwest Harvest provides nutritious food freely to 375 food banks, meal programs, and high-need schools throughout the state.

Anyone wanting to help can visit a local Safeway or Albertsons store or donate money online at northwestharvest.org