(STORY IMAGE:KHQ.COM)
Today, Friday, December 1st, is the Q6 Hometown Harvest Food Drive at Safeway and Albertsons locations across the region and we ask you to join us is helping to wipe out hunger in the Inland NW, especially as we are in the holiday season.KHQ talent including Stephanie Vigil, Dan Kleckner, Sean Owsley, Kalae Chock, Leslie Lowe, Sam Adams, Femi Abebefe, Patrick Erickson, Ryan Overton, Hayley Guenthner, Matt Rogers and Kjerstin Bell will be at five different locations collecting non-perishable food and cash donations.
We are excited to be out meeting all the wonderful people in our community who give so generously. We would love for everyone who donates to take a selfie or photo with them and post it to your social media pages using the hashtag #WhyIGive. There will also be a giant #WhyIGive poster at leach location for you to share the reason that you've chosen to give to those in need this holiday season.Locations include:
- Albertsons at 13606 E. 32nd Ave. Spokane, WA
- Safeway at 2509 E. 29th Ave. Spokane, WA
- Safeway at 2507 W. Wellesley Ave. Spokane, WA
- Safeway at 14020 E. Sprague Ave. Spokane Valley, WA
- Safeway at 121 Neider Ave. Coeur d'Alene, ID
Keep an eye out for Santa Claus who will be making short appearances at all the locations and handing out gift cards! You can also make a donation over the phone by calling the KHQ Connect Center at 509-443-1111. Phone lines will be open between 5am and 7am and then again between 5pm and 6:30pm.
NORTHWEST HARVEST FAST FACTS
- Mission: leading the fight for hungry people statewide to have access to nutritious food while respecting their dignity and promoting good health.
- Vision: ending hunger in Washington
- In 2016, around 1 in 8 Washingtonians did not get enough food to meet their basic nutritional needs.
- In the nation, Washington is firmly in the middle of the pack, ranking as the 25th hungriest state.
- In Washington, the number of people living in poverty significantly decreased over the last year, but nonetheless, nearly 1 in 9 Washingtonians lived below the poverty line in 2016.
- 1 in 5 kids in Washington state lives in a household that struggles to put food on the table.
- 1 in 7 Washingtonians relies on SNAP (food stamps), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is severely threatened by budget cuts. Half of all people on SNAP are kids.
- The majority of working-age Washingtonians who live in poverty are actively working or looking for work.
- Since the start of the recession in 2008, Washington has cut more than $12 billion in discretionary spending from our state's operating budget, all in the areas of public safety, higher education and basic needs services.
- 1 in 6 Washingtonians relies on their local food bank.