Whatcom County Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday, Oct. 22 affirming food security as a public health priority, and outlined steps forward to support access for food-insecure households in a tough budget year.
The Whatcom County Food Bank Network requested $2 million in annual funding from the county in July to meet increasing demand, but the executive’s budget, released on Oct. 18, only allocated $138,000 to the network, which consists of 13 food banks across the county.
Council member Kaylee Galloway said she and some other council members have asked the executive’s office to take another look at that allocation and see if it can be increased. But she said it’s unlikely the county will be able to accommodate the food bank network’s full ask of $2 million, even though she acknowledged the increasing demand.
Whatcom County is facing a deficit and is looking to a potential property tax increase to make it up.
According to the network, 25% of Whatcom County residents, or about 9,000 households, access one of the county’s food banks. In the meantime, Galloway said this resolution gives the county the “framework to move this conversation forward.”
The resolution requests the county executive work with state and federal officials to identify and advocate for additional food bank funding resources and policy changes. This includes the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s request for $93.25 million for “sustained enhanced food assistance” in the governor’s 2025-27 biennial budget and on the federal level, reauthorization of the 2018 Farm Bill.
It also requests the executive to work with local food producers and the Food System Committee to examine policy barriers that hinder producers from providing food to area partners.
The final resolution includes some amendments, detailed in a draft action summary of Tuesday night’s council meeting.
Charlotte Alden is CDN’s general assignment/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.
