Our Work|Public Policy|Our Legislative Priorities
To this end, we advocate for public policies that 1) promote access to nutritious food, 2) help those who struggle to meet their basic needs, and 3) support budgets that restore our basic safety net with fair and sustainable revenue.
Learn more by tracking priority bills, signing up for advocacy alerts, and reading our legislative updates.
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Eliminating hunger in Washington requires a comprehensive look at our current food system, identifying barriers that prevent access to nutritious food and developing strategies to address the root causes of hunger. This year, Northwest Harvest will be prioritizing legislation that develops statewide food security strategies, allows for easier flow of food from farm to households and takes steps to creating a food system that is more equitable and accessible.
Washingtonians saw the closure of several long-standing large food retailers across the state, disrupting local economies and leaving our most vulnerable communities without access to healthy, affordable food. Many people who rely on public transit, walking, and bicycling to access food are left with little to no alternatives when their local grocery store closes. Northwest Harvest looks forward to advocating for legislation that incentivize grocers to establish storefronts in high need communities
Due to the new work requirements in the Trump Administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill”, over 130,000 Washingtonians are projected to lose their SNAP benefits and over 75,000 households will see reductions in their monthly payments. On top of all that, grocery prices continue to increase while wages stay stagnant. Food banks across the state are seeing a significant increase in the number of people they serve and are unable to keep up with demand. This legislative session, we will be fighting to protect our state’s emergency food funding as well as support additional funding to help offset the negative effects of the federal SNAP cuts.
In addition to our legislative priorities, Northwest Harvest will continue to support the Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalitions legislative agenda. Lastly, we will continue to support and advocate for new revenue sources and a tax system that ensures the wealthy pay their fair share. As the state continues to face a massive budget deficit, we need new revenue sources to protect our social safety net, but we also need to ensure that taxes don’t continue to be put on the back of the working class.
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