By Aaron Allen
The Seattle Medium
For more than 60 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound (BBBSPS) has provided local youth with mentors and by creating meaningful one-on-one relationships between children ages 6 to 18 and adult volunteers BBBSPS has given our youth a positive head-start as they learn to navigate their world.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic organizations across the country have had to adjust and re-organize their priorities in response to this crisis and the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound is no different.
Under the leadership of their new CEO Paula Sardinas, who has been serving in the position for about 45 days, BBBSPS has taken the lead on providing much needed food assistance due to food insecurities throughout the Puget Sound region, as they recently launched their Free Fresh Market program in partnership with the Emergency Feeding Program.
BBBSPS says that while grappling with these challenging times, it is important to think of the most vulnerable in our communities. Big Brother Big Sister must ensure that people who have lost jobs and income can overcome the adversities people are facing in these dire times. Through the Fresh Market program, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Emergency Feeding Program believe that they have created a solution to help close disparities in access to healthy foods.
According to BBBSPS, the Fresh Market program provides bags of groceries two days a week at partnered locations. Each Fresh Market bag includes enough food for a family of 4 to prepare three meals for a total of 12 meals. The Fresh Market program distributes 80-160 pre-packed grocery bags during each pick-up window, and every site is open to the public. Distribution windows are typically 2 hours, but the need is so great that the food is usually gone in under an hour.
As of May 15, this partnership has distributed 251,804 pounds of food with Big Brothers Big Sisters trucks which equate to be 209,836 meals.
With the health disparities that communities of color also facing, the meals focus on nutritious vegetables and fruits that are not always readily available through food banks.
“In just 45 days, the BBBS team delivered over 250 thousand pounds to the communities we serve,” said Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Puget Sound Board Chair, Chelsey Owen. “Under the leadership of our new CEO, Paula Sardinas, we have pivoted to have a targeted impact during the COVID-19 crisis.”
BBBS believes that families should not have to worry about how they will feed themselves from day to day. However, with layoffs, school shutdowns, and shelter-in-place orders due to COVID-19 more and more parents are struggling to feed their kids.
“Big Brothers Big Sisters is stepping up to meet this need, partnering with the Emergency Feeding Program to provide free groceries to families and individuals who have little or no access to nutritious foods, says Sardinas.
“We are committed to continuing the Fresh Market partnership even after the pandemic ends, providing a longer-term solution to combat food disparities in our community,” concluded Sardinas.
