250. Northwest Harvest Sway

Today I had the privilege and opportunity to volunteer for Northwest Harvest.  With 31 volunteers, we bagged over 15,000lbs of rice in 2.5 hours.  I feel blessed with the chance to serve my community even for such a short amount of time.  I highly encourage others to take a little bit of time out from the hustle and bustle of the holidays and lending a helping hand.  The cost of a few volunteer hours is truly priceless in the eyes of those you are serving.

About Us


Northwest Harvest, Washington's own statewide hunger relief agency, provides a proven, successful, and cost-effective model for getting nutritious food to those who need it.

We strive to be the most efficient hunger response program in the state of Washington, with more than 93% of our budget going directly to food distribution. Knowing that good nutrition is key to health, Northwest Harvest is committed to providing the freshest, most nutritious food possible to our clients. Fruits and vegetables account for over 65% of the food we distribute.

Last year we secured over 24 million pounds of food for distribution to more than 300 food banks, hot meal programs and elementary schools across Washington. We enable our partners to do more with their own limited resources, providing a combined 640,000 food services in their communities each month. Our food provides a bridge from temporary crisis to stability, allowing those on limited incomes to use their cash for medical expenses, housing, transportation costs, utilities, and childcare.

Northwest Harvest receives no city, county, state, or federal funding for operating expenses and relies solely on contributions from individuals, businesses, foundations, and other organizations. Much of our work is made possible by volunteers of all ages, who gave 78,000 hours of their time last year to feed the hungry.