Meals to the Hungry

The Nourishing Network was brought to Brier Terrace by Greg Fuller, the Nourishing Network’s Program and Volunteer Coordinator. This program was founded in 2014 and is a program under The Foundation for Edmonds School District. Its purpose is to provide weekend meals for the homeless and low-income families in the Edmonds School District. According to Mr. Treadway, the Edmonds School District has about 400 homeless students, 28 of them being in Kindergarten.

With the weekend meals, the Nourishing Network also provides backpack food staples for students who are in an emerging crisis, hygiene products (such as shampoo and toothpaste), and products that are requested by them or their families. This program depends on donations, and so far has fed 130 students every week. “More kids [go] hungry that are not identified homeless [because] the kids may be too embarrassed to say that they need the food,” said Fuller. Not only does the network distribute meals and other basic necessities to the homeless and low-income families during the school year, but it offers a summer program four days a week where students can get food and activities are set up.

Multiple communities and businesses are helping the Nourishing Network by donating. Edmonds Heights has helped by having a food pantry to store the food. The Brier Terrace ASB is hosting a boxathon in March to help their community’s low-income and homeless families. “Brier Terrace is part of a larger community that we hope to help in whatever way we can,” said Mr. Treadway.

One way that you can help is by donating to the Foundation. According to the Nourishing Network, “For every $30 donated, one student receives 3 snacks and 6 meals over the weekend, [which is] enough to keep their minds nourished.” Other ways to help are having food drives or volunteering for the program by packing and distributing food items, or helping to sort out the donations made. If you have any questions, you can contact Deborah Anderson, the Executive Director of the Edmonds School District at foundation-ed@edmonds.wednet.edu, or Greg Fuller at foundation-programs@edmonds.wednet.edu.