Giving Hope To The Hungry

The BMAC Food Bank

Our Food Bank collects, stores, sorts and distributes over 6,000 meals each day to food pantries across five counties including Walla Walla, Franklin, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin.

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Backpack Bridge

Currently, one-third of the population we serve is under the age of 18 and one in five of them aren’t getting enough food over the weekend. We work with community partners and schools to identify the gaps and provide elementary school children with weekend meal bags to get them fed over the weekends and long breaks.

Join us in the effort to make sure that no children in our community go hungry over the weekend. Click HERE to help.

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Current Mobile Food Distributions

In response to COVID-19 and the growing need, BMAC is offering continued drive through mobile food giveaways. See the full schedule here.

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Washington State Basic Food Program - EBT Cards

Many people who qualify for Basic Food are not yet signed up to receive benefits. It's easy to find out if you're eligible. We have dedicated staff who strive to make the enrollment process as hassle‐free as possible. There is online registration as well as a phone option.

For more information, call our food bank at 5095293561.

Follow these links for Basic Food Information and Basic Food Eligibility Calculator.

Senior Food Giveaway - CSFP

Once a month, on the third Thursday from 1pm-4pm, we distribute several hundred food boxes to seniors 60+ who are on a fixed income and program eligible. The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) food distribution is held on the third Thursday of each month at our Food Bank.

Applications for CSFP are available at the main office, or the Food Bank.

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Donations, Gleaning & Volunteering

We rescue over 300,000 pounds of food each year from grocery stores, farms and gardens. Here’s how we do it!

Each week, our team makes rounds at local grocery stores, rescuing food that may otherwise have been thrown away. We take that food and get it into the homes of neighbors.

Gleaning! Our partners at the Whitman Glean team work with farms to glean their excess produce that sometimes would die on the vine. We include that fresh produce in food boxes and deliver it to local food pantries.

We encourage neighbors to donate extra produce from their gardens and often take it to residents at our housing properties.

Farm To Food Pantry

Getting fresh produce into the emergency food system is an increasingly important part of hunger-relief efforts in communities across Washington. BMAC is partnered with Rotary First Harvest and the Washington Department of Agriculture (WSDA) in a collaborative effort to bring local produce to those in need through “Farm to Food Pantry.” This program allows BMAC to purchase fresh produce directly from local small farms, including Frog Hollow Farm, Hayshaker Farm, R&R Produce, and Welcome Table Farm. In the first year, these contracted farms supplied BMAC with cherries, apricots, peaches, lettuce, chard, radish, beans, mixed veggies, garlic, corn, potatoes, cabbage, beets, carrots, rutabaga, zucchini, cucumber, and more. These foods were distributed through BMACʼs food pantry network to people in need in our communities.

According to Rotary First Harvest, “purchasing directly from a local farmer will increase the availability of local crops while improving access to healthier food choices for families and individuals in need. Buying produce directly from the farmers also dramatically strengthens the bond between farmer and food bank. Our experience has shown that if a farmer has a strong relationship with a local food bank they are significantly more inclined to make additional produce donations.”

Nondiscrimination Statement

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation),disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

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Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

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To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online HERE, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights(ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation.

The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

2. fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

3. email:
program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

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