Title
A MOTION requesting the executive to identify resources to support food banks and food security organizations experiencing the impacts of inflation.
Body
WHEREAS, from 2018 through 2020, Communities Count reported that about 10.5 percent of adults in King County reported that food that was bought for their households sometimes or often did not last, and they did not have money to purchase more food, and
WHEREAS, lack of adequate food can affect physical and mental health, and children who grow up in homes without enough food are at increased risk of illness and academic and social problems, and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ("the BLS") reported that the consumer price index for all urban consumers rose 9.1 percent from April 2021 to April 2022, and
WHEREAS, during the same period, the BLS reported that food prices increased 11.4 percent, led by higher prices for meats, poultry, fish and eggs, and
WHEREAS, the Seattle Times reported on May 27, 2022, that food banks are experiencing increased operating costs due to inflation at the same time that demand is increasing as food costs rise for households, and
WHEREAS, on June 15, 2022, the United State Federal Reserve raised its key short term interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point, its largest hike in twenty-eight years, impacting credit card, mortgages, savings rates, and stocks, and
WHEREAS, public health - Seattle & King County has granted five million dollars to seventy-four food banks in 2022, and
WHEREAS, moneys are not currently available for further food bank support, and
WHEREAS, some strategies to support food banks could include, but are not limited to:
1. Helping to influence the federal government to reauthorize federal benefits, such as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program ("SNAP") and other programs in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, which is set to expire on September 30, 2023;
2. Directing more resources towards food security organizations, especially smaller and nontraditional food providers, such as churches and senior centers;
3. Helping to create a unified food security network by building connectivity and relationships between food security organizations around the region;
4. Helping individuals access other resources, such as rental assistance, job assistance and transit benefits, at food banks; and
5. Investing in and building the capacity of food banks to also perform federal benefits outreach, as every dollar invested in SNAP outreach yields local benefits beyond the direct federal assistance;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
A. The council requests the executive to identify resources to support food banks and food security organizations, including, but not limited to, senior centers, experiencing the impacts of inflation. The executive should conduct outreach to food banks and food security organizations, including, but not limited to, senior centers, and other agencies involved in the food network, such as Nourishing Networks, in King County to identify needs and determine the magnitude of food insecurity in King County. In conducting outreach, the executive should identify ways to provide assistance to food banks and food security organizations, including, but not limited to, senior centers, such as, but not limited to, grants and volunteer outreach and recruitment, and outreach should be conducted with at least one organization located in each council district, if possible, and serving a variety of cultural and socioeconomic groups. The executive should begin implementation of any assistance measures upon completion of the outreach.
B. The executive should also identify any geographic locations in King County, including, but not limited to, any areas in rural or unincorporated King County, that are underserved by the existing network of food banks and food security organizations.
C. The executive should report to the council on the outreach conducted, the magnitude of food insecurity in King County, any identified ways to assist food banks and food security organizations, including, but not limited to, senior centers, and results of implementation of any assistance measures, and any geographic locations identified that are underserved by the existing network of food banks and food security organizations. The executive should electronically file the report not later than February 7, 2023, with the clerk of the council, who shall retain the original and provide an
electronic copy to all councilmembers and the lead staff of the law, justice, health and human services committee, or its successor.