Whatcom Food Network

Food Systems Social Club has been a success and we've loved meeting everyone interested in supporting our local food system!

Thank you for joining us in June and July. We're going to take our annual summer break in August and we'll see you again in September.

More details for September's Food Systems Social Club to come - stay tuned!

TOMORROW is our second Food Systems Social Club gathering and you're invited!

Join us to learn more about how we can effectively work together to further the progress towards food equity in Whatcom county where 1 in 5 people are food insecure.

If you want to move the needle on progress in our local food system (*cough, cough* 10-year Food System Plan) we can help you participate in a way that works for you. When we work together, our efforts go farther (meaning less people go hungry.)

We will meet at RE Sources in their upstairs meeting room. Bring a dish or a beverage to share if you can. All are welcome. No previous knowledge or experience are necessary to join. If you can, please RSVP using this link (copy and paste into your browser if needed): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc35iAuMV9_U2odra6OLHNnBQZaUYmulqXCdw9Uc3SRZFvUIg/viewform.

You're still welcome to join if you don't RSVP, but that would help us plan.

We hope to see you there! 🍓

Just a few weeks away is our next Food System Social Club. Mark your calendar for Tuesday, July 7, and bring a dish or beverage to share.

We will see you at RE Sources in the upstairs meeting room at 5:30. There will be good conversation to share about our food system considering the annual report presentation to county council on June 23rd, and other recent happenings.

Come get the scoop and share your piece!

This month’s Food System Committee meeting will include a group discussion about how to get the next community food assessment funded in the next budget cycle.
We will also have a brief discussion about presenting the annual report to County Council. (The written report has been approved and submitted.)

As always, we welcome your presence! Please join us in person (110 Unity Street, Bellingham, WA) or online (Zoom link in bio) at 4:30 pm. You do not need previous experience to join.

"Gina Plata-Nino, deputy director of SNAP at the Food Action and Research Center, on the Food Research and Action Center blog: "Millions of individuals with low incomes, including caregivers, veterans, older adults, and those experiencing homelessness will now face more hardship. It will increase administrative burdens on already strained state agencies and deepen food insecurity and poverty. Proponents claim that people can simply volunteer to maintain their benefits, but this “work-for-food” alternative is difficult to implement in practice. Outlined below are the significant barriers that make mandated volunteering a deeply flawed and burdensome policy, not only for participants but for the states and nonprofits expected to support it. "

SNAP benefits update: Trump's cuts could lead to 70,000 deaths Of the estimated 2.4 million people who could lose benefits, CAP estimates this could lead to 69,600 more deaths.

Community members are encouraged to join the Whatcom County Food Systems Committee meetings, including this Tuesday's (March 17) at 4:30-6 pm. Meetings are held in a hybrid format with the option to join online (see the Zoom link in our bio) or in person at the Health Department (110 Unity Street, Bellingham.)

This month the meeting will cover updates to the Food System Plan, a recap of the "Shared Table, Shared Future" event, and planning for the annual report.

Past meeting minutes and the agenda are available at the link in our bio as well. You do not need experience to join, and we value your input!

We hope to see you there.