On Wednesday, April 12, Emergency Food Network hosted their annual Recognition Breakfast at the STAR Center in Lakewood to recognize important partners in Pierce County’s effort to reduce hunger and food insecurity.
The David P. Ottey Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Shelley Rotondo. Rotondo has dedicated 27 years of her life to reducing hunger in Washington State. She is currently the CEO of Northwest Harvest and has lead the agency since 2001. Emergency Food Network and Northwest Harvest are long-time partners. They often work together, leveraging their buying power, by purchasing food in large quantities. They share ideas and work together providing food to neighbors in need throughout the Puget Sound region and all of Washington State.
Emergency Food Network also honored this year’s recipients of the 2017 Silver Spoon Awards, recognizing individuals, businesses, and organizations who have made a substantial impact on ending food insecurity in our region. By helping Emergency Food Network with its mission “to provide Pierce County with a consistent, diverse, and nutritious food supply so that no person 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:
TrueBlue – Corporate Partner of the Year
Employee’s Community Fund of Boeing – Foundation Partner
RAM Restaurant & Brewery – Mother Earth Farm Support, Corporate
Madeleine Spencer – Mother Earth Farm Support, Individual
My Sister’s Pantry – John Schultz Partner Food Program
Optimist Club of Tacoma – Volunteer Service, Group
Gary Fontaine – Volunteer Service, Individual
Fircrest United Methodist Church – Substantial Collection Effort
Bates Technical College – Food System Support
This year’s Recognition Breakfast was made possible by the support of generous sponsors committed to helping Emergency Food Network provide food to the community. Sponsors of the Recognition Breakfast include: Interstate Distributor Co., Waste Connections, CHI Franciscan Health, Chuckals Office Products, Columbia Bank, DaVita, Gordon Thomas Honeywell, HomeStreet Bank, IBEW Local 483, Johnson Family Properties, MultiCare Health System, Northwest Harvest, Pierce College, Sharon Snuffin, Taylor-Thomason Insurance, Teamsters Local 117, TrueBlue, UFCW Local 367, and Zack Rosenbloom and Associates.
During the event, EFN also announced that May 2017 is Hunger Awareness Month. Pierce County residents are encouraged to get involved in the month of May by choosing at least one or more activities to make a difference in their community. Hunger Awareness Month events and volunteer opportunities can be found by visiting EFN’s website www.efoodnet.org. The largest Hunger Awareness Month event is the Hunger Walk & 5K Run on May 20 at Fort Steilacoom Park. Opportunities to walk around the lake, run through the trees in the chip-timed 5K, or volunteer at the event are all available. Visit the Hunger Walk & 5K Run website for more information or to register, https://efoodnet.donorpages.com/HungerWalk2017.