Work Session: State Officials, Researchers and Food Banks Outline Rising Food Need and Network Strains

State officials, university researchers, anti‑hunger groups and food‑bank operators told the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee Friday that food insecurity in Washington remains elevated, that charitable hunger‑relief networks are strained, and that a mix of federal, state and local programs is needed to meet demand.

Jennifer Otten, a professor at the University of Washington who leads the WA Food survey, said the survey oversamples low‑income households and families who use food assistance to allow more precise analysis. Her latest (wave 5) fall survey included about 5,500 respondents and showed 55 percent of those respondents were food insecure in the past month (the survey oversamples food‑assistance users). Otten said school meals, SNAP (Basic Food), and food banks are consistently the top three programs Washington households use for food assistance.

Katie Raines, food policy advisor at the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), described the state’s role in coordinating food security responses during and after the COVID emergency. Raines said the department’s state‑funded food assistance budget was about $12.5 million before the pandemic and that recent appropriations and one‑time emergency purchases greatly expanded state…