On Wednesday, May 2 in Philip Hall on the University of Washington-Tacoma campus, Emergency Food Network hosted a community breakfast to mark 30 years of service in the community and to recognize important partners in Pierce County’s effort to fight food insecurity.
EFN honored this year’s recipients of the 2012 Silver Spoon Award, recognizing individuals and organizations who have made a substantial impact on ending food insecurity in our region. By helping EFN with its mission “to provide a reliable food supply so that no person in Pierce County goes hungry,” recipients of this award model a commitment to giving their time and resources to meet a critical need. This year’s winners are: United Natural Foods, Inc., Key Peninsula Lutheran Church, The Gary E. Milgard Family Foundation, American Fast Freight, Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Rotary Club of Tacoma No. 8, Marsh Allen, and Schnitzer.
In addition to the Silver Spoon awards, the Emergency Food Network presented the David P. Ottey Lifetime Achievement Award to Carrie Little. Ms. Little managed Mother Earth Farm for more than 10 years, transforming an 8-acre plot of over-farmed land in Puyallup into a bountiful organic farm that distributes 150,000 pounds of produce annually to area food banks, fresh on the day the food is harvested.
Past Executive Directors Jeannie Darnielle, Dennis Flannigan and David Ottey were in attendance, along with past and present board members, representatives from supportive family foundations and local businesses, as well as individuals who have made a difference over the past 30 years.
EFN also announced companies and organizations that qualified as Corporate or Civic Partners in 2011. Corporate/Civic Partners have a special tie to EFN. They engage in efforts to fight hunger and receive distinction for their work each year for their efforts. Corporate and Civic Partners recognized at the breakfast include: Bank of America, Boeing Company, Business Examiner, Chuckals, DaVita, Franciscan Health System, Gordon Thomas Honeywell, KeyBank, LaborWorks, Lakewood Police Department, LeMay Pierce County Refuse, MultiCare Health System, Murray Pacific Corporation, Pacific Lutheran University, Roman Meal Company, Rotary Club District 5020, Schnitzer, Stadium Thriftway, Tacoma Pierce County Association of Realtors, Tucci & Sons.
Each month in Pierce County local food banks and hot meal sites see an average of 110,000 visits made by children, seniors and adults. In 2011 EFN distributed 13.1 million pounds of food worth $16.5 million at no cost through its warehouse operation. EFN is able to leverage their purchased and donated food to distribute $12 worth of food for every $1 donated.
To learn more about EFN visit www.efoodnet.org or call (253) 584-1040.
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