About HIP

History

HIP has always believed in the right to nutritious food. It started its efforts to bring healthy, safe, and wholesome meals to those in need in 1998, serving Friday lunches in downtown Seattle. From 2007-2010 HIP’s volunteers served a daily breakfast seven days at week to clients at a major downtown Seattle shelter. This food service was vital to the homeless population suffering from malnutrition and poor access to high quality food. HIP’s volunteers were awarded the 2007 and 2010 Mayor’s End Hunger Awards for their commitment to feeding the Seattle community and the 2008 Community Leader Award. In 2010, HIP transitioned its daily breakfast service to the shelter in order to place emphasis on issues of hunger among the homeless and low income residents of the Lake City community in north Seattle.

Top

Activities

Hunger is one of the many unfortunate side effects of and contributors to homelessness in Seattle. To achieve its vision of ending hunger by collaborating with community partners, HIP's programs aim to empower low-income and other economically and socially disadvantaged individuals by providing nutritional meals and basic cooking skills in a dignity-preserving fashion where clients' cultures are celebrated and respected. HIP's current programs include:

In addition to these programs, HIP participates in Meals Partnership Coalition (MPC), a group of over 50 meal providers from human service agencies, churches, businesses, schools and civic groups that provide no- or low-cost meals in King County. MPC provides assistance in program management, training, education, referrals and information. Its monthly meetings provide networking for food providers and a forum for group advocacy for the homeless and the hungry. HIP joins in voicing concern for and seeking answers to the shelter, food, and medical needs of the homeless. HIP is part of the Northwest Harvest Hunger Response Network of food banks and meal providers in Washington State, and an agency of Food Lifeline. HIP most recently joined Community Kitchens Northwest, a small but growing umbrella organization for Community Kitchens in the Northwest.

Top

Administration

HIP is a non-profit corporation of the State of Washington (UBI 602-878-400). HIP is designated a 501(c)(3) public charity by the Internal Revenue Service.

HIP Board members serve as volunteers to oversee the program and to link HIP with other community action groups working to solve the problem of hunger in our community. Board members include practitioners of law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy science, clinical and public health microbiology, nutrition, accounting, hospital administration, and marketing. Many board members have commercial or large-scale cooking experience.

Program Manager:

Board of Directors:

Top

Annual Reports

Top