Hunger Intervention Program in Seattle Washington
Feeding the Hungry in Seattle
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Feeding the Hungry in Seattle
Hunger Intervention Program in Seattle
Feeding the Hungry
Feeding the Hungry
Feeding the Hungry
Feeding the Hungry
Feeding the Hungry
Feeding the Hungry
Feeding the Hungry
Feeding the Hungry
Feeding the Hungry
Feeding the Hungry
Seattle Mayor's Award 2008
Hunger Intervention Program in Seattle
 

About Hunger Intervention Program

HIP’s Activities

Service. HIP's newest program, Community Kitchen, meets HIP's mission to provide nutritional meals while empowering others. HIP's partnership with Sound Mental Health and Seattle University School of Nursing supports this service and allows Participants to receive substantial support around cooking and nutrition. Participants are invited to HIP's commercial kitchen to prepare meals and dine together. The Community Kitchen is offered at no cost to tenants of McDermott Place, a supportive housing project for chronically homeless individuals.

The Community Kitchen occurs each week; Participants are paired with volunteers who provide guidance and feedback at each cooking station. Seattle U nursing students promote discussion about the nutritional content in each ingredient. HIP uses healthy, whole foods and aims to teach participants how to make meals that are both nutritious and delicious.

This innovative program is currently the only one of its kind, offering not only a free Community Kitchen, but also one that targets this marginalized population.

Stories: This is a video of a participant describing his positive experience at the Community Kitchen. The link also shows related HIP "Stories" on YouTube.

Supporting volunteers. HIP provides service opportunities to individuals and groups. HIP volunteers find a healing, supporting outlet for meaningful service to those in need.

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 Lake City Homelessness Taskforce, 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 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 but growing umbrella organization for Community Kitchens in the Northwest.

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 History

Prep Team for Hunger Intervention Program

HIP 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 Supporters

HIP 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 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:

  • Lake City Presbyterian Church
  • Cub Scouts - Pack 307/338
  • Wedgwood Presbyterian and Japanese Presbyterian youth
  • 24/7 young adults
  • Work Opportunities of Edmonds
  • Seattle University Executive Leadership Program
  • Edmonds Community College/Americorps
  • Shoreline Community College Service Learning
  • University of Washington Service Learning Internships
  • Microsoft Management Leadership Team

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.

Administration

HIP 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 Executive Director, Alison Hill, has more than 8 years of experience working with vulnerable populations, including domestic violence victims and survivors, mentally ill and developmentally disabled youth and adults, and chronically homeless adults. Her previous job as Project Manager of DESC's largest housing project, the Morrison, gave her relevant experience managing a meal program for 190 chronically homeless adults.

Board of Directors

HIP 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.

  • Rhoda Morrow, Chair
  • Linda Berger, Vice Chair for Operations
  • Angela Cook, Secretary
  • Jerry Berger, Treasurer
  • Sandy Hackett
  • Kim Magden
  • Danielle Odgers
  • Polly Poole
  • Lisa Sorenson
  • Heidi Thomassen
  • Calie Wellbaum
  • Alan Spanne, ex officio

Feeding the Hungry in Seattle

Contact / Volunteer Information

E-mail: E-mail: alison@hungerintervention.org

Hunger Intervention Program
3841 NE 123rd Street
Seattle, WA 98125

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