Washington partnership leverages AmeriCorps to address unprecedented food insecurity efforts across state

||| FROM GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE’S OFFICE |||

Last year, Serve Washington, the state’s service commission, the Washington State Department of Agriculture and the Schultz Family Foundation created the Response Corps to respond to unprecedented levels of food insecurity across the state.

New findings reveal just how successful the partnership was to help make the AmeriCorps program more accessible to its members and, in turn, help address food insecurity for Washington families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Response Corps invests in nonprofits and for individuals who want to serve as AmeriCorps members. It was a first of-its-kind program where philanthropic funds were combined with federal funds to support multiple AmeriCorps programs across the state.

“Washington communities have faced countless challenges this past year, and food insecurity has been one of the most pervasive,” Gov. Jay Inslee said. “The Response Corps is a perfect example of the impact public and private partnerships can have in taking care of our communities.”

Already planning for a second year, the partnership will continue to leverage new funding from federal, philanthropic and local partners to address even more COVID-19 impacts in Washington.

Since November 2020, AmeriCorps members in the Washington COVID Response Corps collectively completed 61,099 hours of service, providing more than 23.8 million pounds of food to Washingtonians and serving them more than 4.7 million meals.

Read the rest of the story on the governor’s Medium page.