One in six children in Washington is food insecure. And in the greater Seattle area, one in eight working people struggles against hunger.
That fight will be center stage on Monday (Nov. 11) at a food justice panel at Town Hall Seattle.
Northwest Harvest is one of the panel organizers. The organization is aiming to cut hunger rates in Washington in half by 2028.
Among the panelists is Taylor Huong, a Redmond chef who runs a chain of pho cafes and a pair of restaurants. She and her parents emigrated here from Vietnam when she was 7 years old.
"Food banks were an integral part of my life growing up," she says. "And supported my family and gave us opportunities and availabilities for food."
Healthy food is a human right, she maintains. She recently put on a special dinner using ingredients from a food bank, to help destigmatize them.
"There are middle income families that depend on food banks," says Huong.
Among the others speaking at Town Hall will be Issaquah Congresswoman and pediatrician Kim Schrier, who has been working to roll back Trump administration cuts to food stamp benefits.