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About Hunger Intervention ProgramHIP’s ActivitiesService. In 2010, HIP launched its "Food Skills for Success" program, an innovative, multifaceted program to provide supportive meal services to the homeless residents of a transitional housing program, McDermott Place. Located in the north Seattle neighborhood of Lake City, McDermott Place is home to 75 high need residents who are coping with various life challenges and learning to live in stable housing. With support of Fred Meyer in Lake City, HIP volunteers shopped and bagged shelf stable groceries to greet incoming residents. For brand new residents, the Grocery Bags were a comforting antidote to the uncertainty and strangeness of a new apartment. With the support of the Kelly Foundation of Washington, HIP serves a weekly lunch at McDermott Place and conducts classes in food procuring and food preparation skills. An important part of "Food Skills for Success" is to engage residents as food skills trainers. The aim is that in conjunction with occupational skills programs by Sound Mental Health (SMH), some peer trainers may go on to participate in teaching others in similar programs outside McDermott Place. Supporting volunteers. HIP provides service opportunities to individuals and groups. HIP volunteers find a healing, supporting outlet for meaningful service to those in need. Youth can earn community service hours. Volunteers prepare and transport menu items from the permitted kitchen at Lake City Presbyterian Church to areas of need. Other volunteers work directly with other programs in training or advocacy efforts. Over 30% of HIP's 110 volunteers hold a current Washington State Food Handler's license. Community service. HIP serves on the Executive Committee of 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 training, assistance in program management, education, referrals, and information. Its monthly meetings provide networking for food providers and a forum for group advocacy for the homeless and the hungry. Hunger in Seattle is one of the many unfortunate side effects of and contributors to homelessness. Through MPC, the Seattle Human Services Coalition, the Interfaith Task Force to End Homelessness, and other associations, HIP joins in voicing concern for the homeless and in seeking answers to their shelter, food, and medical needs. HIP is also part of the Northwest Harvest Hunger Response Network of food banks and meal providers in Washington State, and an agency of Food Lifeline. Teaching others. HIP volunteers have compiled a Resource Manual for Meal Programs with websites, contacts, and resources for people interested in feeding hungry people in the Seattle/King County area. The Manual covers food safety resources, sources of free or low-cost food in the King County area, high-volume recipe sources, information on finances for meal providers, and lists of area shelters and food banks. To access the Resource Manual [click here]. HIP also provides seminars and workshops to train others how to establish meal programs for safe delivery of food resources to hungry people. Seminars were offered in 2009 to help others navigate the application process for agency status with donated food providers such as Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline's Seattle's Table. HIP’s HistoryHIP began as a committed group of volunteers based at Lake City Presbyterian Church. The group created Friday lunches for Operation: Sack Lunch from 1998 to 2005. In early 2005, Operation: Sack Lunch stopped serving outdoor meals in response to the closure of the city-sanctioned downtown serving site. Because alternative services were not available, HIP increased its efforts; providing 120-150 bagged lunches on the corner of Third and Yesler three times per week. The program was chartered in 2005 as "Hunger Intervention Program" by Lake City Presbyterian Church to meet the continuing need for healthy, sanitary, wholesome meals to be delivered in a dignity-preserving fashion to a specialized population in downtown Seattle. Many of those served by HIP could not qualify for other shelter meals or navigate up the hill to obtain food from the sanctioned city of Seattle outdoor meal serving site. Many were wheelchair-bound, mobility impaired, elderly, developmentally disabled, or drug- or alcohol-impaired. In 2007, HIP took its program "indoors," eventually serving a hot or cold breakfast each day of the week to clients of a major shelter (the DESC) in downtown Seattle. In 2008, HIP joined the City of Seattle's Emergency Food Program Bulk Buy program. HIP's Vice President for Operations sits on the executive counsel for the Bulk Buy program. HIP’s SupportersHIP is grateful for the support received from many sources — In-kind donors: HIP receives menu items and ingredients from Food Lifeline, Northwest Harvest, The Emergency Food Assistance Program, and Seattle Bulk Buy. Seattle's Table Partners: Chipotle at Northgate and Sugar Shack Bakery have provided rescued menu items for HIP's meals through Seattle's Table. Foundations and funding organizations: HIP is grateful to The Seattle Foundation, The Pinkerton Foundation, The Jane and Peter Lamb Charitable Trust, University Presbyterian Church Deacons' Fund, The Seattle Foundation, the Kelly Foundation of Washington, Lake City Presbyterian Church and Emmanuel Episcopal Church for their support. The program received a highly competitive, national award from Presbyterian Hunger Program. In 2007, HIP received a one-time grant from Seattle's Human Services Department and, in 2008, major funding from Seattle Public Utilities to support its Seattle's Table partnership. Fred Meyer of Lake City and Grocery Outlet of Burien have supported special projects of HIP, most recently, the Grocery Bag project for new residents of McDermott Place. Volunteers and volunteer groups:
Corporate partnerships: HIP is pleased to partner with Microsoft's matching gift programs and with RealNetworks' employee community service program. HIP is a member of the State of Washington's Combined Fund Drive. AdministrationHIP is a nonprofit 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's Director of Operations, Linda Berger, has more than 15 years experience in meal programs, including a previous position as Board Chair for Operation: Sack Lunch. Board of DirectorsHIP Board members serve as volunteers to oversee the program and to link HIP with other community action groups involved in solving 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. Board members also have commercial or large scale cooking experience.
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Contact / Volunteer InformationE-mail: hungerintervention@comcast.net
Hunger Intervention Program |
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