Between the high cost of living and unprecedented cuts to federal food programs, many people in King County are struggling to put food on the table. In 2018-2022, 9.5% of all residents in King County reported that food they purchased sometimes or often did not last, and they did not have money to buy more. Food banks are having a hard time keeping up, and workers who help people find resources are overwhelmed by the growing number of people who need help.

“This is a critical moment for people working on assuring all King County residents have enough food,” said Elizabeth Kimball, food policy lead for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “Our food access partners are coming together like never before, and when we intentionally work together, innovative local solutions arise.”

The belief that we can do more when we work together inspired Public Health’s recent convening of over 150 local food access leaders. “Food Access Now: Advancing Local Solutions to Food Insecurity” was King County’s first large-scale food systems gathering and brought together non-profits, government agencies, farmers, producers, distributors, healthcare professionals, academics, and funders for a powerful day of action-oriented strategizing and collaboration.

In this video from King County TV, participants share what brought them to this unique gathering and the solutions that give them hope for a future where everyone has access to affordable, culturally relevant food.

Get Involved

Addressing food insecurity is complex and involves action throughout our whole community. Below are three local solutions participants explored at the conference and how you can help them succeed.

Medicaid-funded nutrition support services

Beginning this year, many individuals enrolled in Apple Health (Medicaid), who are also enrolled in certain long-term support programs, may be eligible for nutrition support services such as

• Nutrition counseling and education
• Medically tailored meals
• Pantry stocking
• Fruit and vegetable provisions

To learn more about criteria for eligibility, visit the WA State Health Care Authority website.

How you can help: Get the word out that these services are available, particularly to people with Apple Health (Medicaid) insurance. For some, signing up for health insurance can be a difficult and overwhelming task. Lucky for us, our Community Health Access Program is at the ready to assist King County residents in signing up for health insurance.

If you, or someone you know in King County, already receive Medicaid you can also visit the HealthierHere Community Hub to learn about how to access these supports. Self-referrals are accepted.

Farm to community programs

Connecting small to mid-sized local farmers with food banks, senior centers and other hunger relief organizations increases access to healthy, local food and supports local farmers. We’ve already seen the success of programs like the King County Farmer’s Share Program, which connects and supports 76 small-scale local farmers to grow fresh, high-quality, culturally relevant produce to sell to 39 local food assistance programs. Now is the time to scale up these programs so more people can access nourishing foods.

This strategy relies on a robust and flourishing local food system, one in which farmers have access to local markets.

How you can help:

• Shop local. Help farmers stay in business by shopping at local farmer’s markets. Not sure where to get started? Check out this spotlight on farmer’s markets in King County that provide fresh, affordable and culturally relevant food to our immigrant and refugee communities.  
• Donate cash to food banks. Monetary contributions allow organizations to purchase nutritious food in bulk at wholesale prices from farmers as well as prioritize items most requested by shoppers. Food banks welcome food donations, but cash donations have a greater impact.

County-wide produce subsidy

Seattle’s Fresh Bucks Program enrolls eligible customers to receive monthly benefits to spend at participating farmers markets, independent grocers and supermarkets. A recent study found that the program was associated with a 5.5 percentage point–increase in food security. Given the program’s success, it’s unsurprising there is momentum amongst food access leaders to scale the program county-wide. In fact, Public Health recently completed a food access policy codesign project in which a county-wide produce subsidy was identified as the #1 policy priority amongst participants.

How you can help: Community-based organizations in King County are leading the way, helping policymakers understand the health and economic impact a produce subsidy would have in the county and what it would mean for increased food access. But they need your help.

Volunteering with local food access organizations is a great way to be a part of food access conversations and uplift the efforts of frontline workers advocating for solutions from the ground up.Here are a couple of the organizations that participated in Public Health’s Codesign project and some ways to get involved in their work

• United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance Washington (UTOPIA Washington) is a queer and trans people of color-led, grassroots organization born out of the struggles, challenges, strength, and resilience of the Queer and Trans Pacific Islander (QTPI – “Q-T-pie”) communities.
• Feeding Feasible Feasts is a non-profit food relief agency in Washington State working at the intersection of food insecurity and food waste.
• Solid Ground works to end poverty and undo racism and other oppressions that are root causes of poverty.
• Food Lifeline brings people together to ensure everyone has access to nourishing, culturally relevant food today and every day.

The foundation of health

Access to nutritious, culturally relevant food is a cornerstone of public health. As Claire Lane of the anti-hunger and nutrition coalition reminds us, “it is the foundation for almost everything all of us as human beings do and need.”  That’s why it’s so important for people who work in food access to have the time, space and encouragement to learn from one another and to have their voices uplifted in policy solutions. As Kimball observes, “we’re seeing food system and food access partners come together in ways we haven’t before. Collaboration across sectors is making us stronger in our shared commitment to improving food security for King County residents. Moments like this remind me of the power of community-driven solutions. Seeing what we can achieve together gives me tremendous hope for the future.”

Originally posted 6/18/26

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