As need grows, so does food bank

Northwest Harvest formally opened a new warehouse Saturday, improving its ability to feed struggling families just as the nation's economy appears to be slipping into recession and more folks need free food.

On a highway of warehouses and distribution centers in Kent, the emergency food supplier has a new 94,000- square-foot warehouse, already stocked with diced tomatoes, frozen turkey meat, diapers and Red Delicious apples.

The center will allow Northwest Harvest to consolidate work as food prices soar, thousands of jobs disappear in Washington state, and the national housing crisis deflates the economy, combining to make the nonprofit's work more difficult.

The sagging U.S. economy is hitting Northwest Harvest hard. For example, the price of rice jumped 16 percent over the past month, and wheat prices have tripled over the past 90 days, said Mike Regis, Northwest Harvest's director of procurement and outreach.

The group doesn't even give out pasta right now because it's too expensive. The high price of gas only makes it harder to find and distribute food.

"We don't see this is a short-term blip," said Northwest Harvest Executive Director Shelley Rotondo. "We see this as a long-term event."

The official scorekeepers haven't declared that the nation is mired in a recession -- they often wait until well after a contraction begins -- but the bad economic news is mounting.

The housing market continues to sag, manufacturing is cooling and the number of jobless Americans is rising.

Meanwhile, lines are getting longer at state food banks. For example, there has been a 10 percent increase in demand at Northwest Harvest's Cherry Street Food Bank over the past year alone, with the elderly representing the biggest part of that rise, Northwest officials say.

The new facility should help. Instead of paying market-level rents, Northwest Harvest is just $300,000 shy of owning its new $12.9 million warehouse, which officials say will make it easier to move food.

Northwest Harvest ships food to 300 food banks around the state. Instead of three storage sites -- cold, processing and the old Pier 91 warehouse -- the group now has one warehouse, with 15 loading docks and nearly triple the storage space.

Unfortunately, it may need the extra room. Northwest Harvest reports distributing 18 million pounds of goods last year, but sees a growing demand.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about Northwest Harvest call (800) 722-6924 or check www.northwestharvest.org.