Programs

Healthy HIP Pack Program

Overview

One in four Washington children live in households where families experience hunger. The Healthy HIP Packs Program, a weekend food backpack program, provides an important food resource for the children in these families when school meals are not available.

HIP Packs provide nutritious and kid-friendly foods, enough for six meals and two snacks per child. When choosing foods to include in the pack, HIP creates complete meals and emphasizes whole grains, milk, high quality proteins, fresh fruits, and products with no added sugars. The packs are also a great way to share information with families on free community events, nutrition tips, and local resources.

HIP collaborates with Seattle schools and community partners to make the HIP Pack Program possible. School staff works with parents to identify children receiving free or reduced priced meals whom are at risk of hunger over the weekend. In the 2011–2012 school year, nearly 700 HIP Packs provided vital weekend food help for Seattle children. Monthly packing parties offer fun opportunities for the community to come together to assemble HIP Packs. Packing parties are also a great time for parents and children to volunteer together. HIP volunteers then deliver the HIP Packs to the school each week, where they are discretely placed into student backpacks to be taken home.

“This food has helped my family a lot. We are sometimes without food on the weekend.” —Healthy HIP Packs parent

For more information on how you can contribute to the Healthy HIP Pack Program, visit our Ways to Give page. To learn how to bring the Healthy HIP Packs program to your school, contact Kate at our email address.

Benefits

Top

Food Bank
Cooking Demonstrations

Overview

When North Helpline Food Bank reported they were composting donated produce because clients did not know how to cook it, HIP answered with cooking demonstrations!

Each week, HIP’s team of volunteers and staff show how to prepare easy and nutritious dishes with the foods available that week at the food bank. Recipes highlight items that are unfamiliar to clients or use common ingredients in new ways. Clients can taste the prepared dishes and take a recipe card home along with the highlighted ingredients.

Visit our Facebook page to try out our latest recipes.

Benefits

Top

Community Kitchens

Overview

HIP’s Community Kitchens work to empower participants by teaching cooking skills and providing nutrition education while promoting a sense of community. HIP offers a kitchen specifically designed for adults with developmental disabilities. This program provides participants a rare opportunity to learn basic kitchen skills, practice teamwork, and feel a sense of pride in a delicious, shared result.

“Participants get to feel the accomplishment of eating something prepared by them, not for them!” —Work Opportunities Program Manager

Benefits

Top

Weekly Sandwich Service
and Bagged Lunch

Overview

HIP’s dedicated volunteers work to provide nourishing meals for homeless, low-income, and no-income individuals and families in our community. HIP volunteers turn donated foods into lunches including healthy and hearty sandwiches and fresh fruits and vegetables. These meals are distributed through the North Helpline Emergency Services every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and in front of the North Helpline Food Bank each Friday.

Top