‘An ongoing issue’: Local leader addresses food insecurity in rural town

OTHELLO, Wash. – Thursday at 8 a.m., people were lined up at the Othello Christian Church, waiting for Second Harvest and Othello Food Bank to set up and distribute free food to the small rural community.

It wouldn’t be for another two hours, however, that they would see the food banks pull in to set up.

Second Harvest – a nonprofit that supplies a network of partner food banks in 21 counties in Eastern Washington and five counties in North Idaho – has been traveling to Othello and partnering with Othello Food Bank, as well as other volunteers in the area, to distribute free produce.

And with a line of cars wrapped around the church where they set up, it was clear food insecurity is a challenge for many in the rural town.

Jose Garza, facility manager and director of the Othello Food Bank, has been partnering with Second Harvest to help reduce food insecurity in Adams County. He said it has improved, but there is still a growing need because of the large agriculture industry in the area.

“You have a lot of seasonal workers, farm workers, you have seniors, you know, middle class – and so the food insecurity is always going to be an ongoing issue in Othello,” Garza said.

He added that with rising prices, the food bank continues to be a necessity to the community.

“If the housing market is going up, the food prices are going up, gas is going up,” Garza said. “I don’t see food insecurity going away anytime soon. If anything, it’s going to either grow or it’s either going to plateau and stay the same.”

Othello has a 21.9% poverty rate, according to a 2022 report from DATA USA, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5% . The report notes that 76% of the community is Hispanic.

Lydia Rocha, a longtime resident of Othello, said she has stopped by the mobile food bank events a couple of times, but at first didn’t want to because she felt embarrassed.

“I felt bad, but then I see other people getting it too, you know? So I was like, if everyone’s getting it, then why not,” Rocha said.

Disabled and waiting to undergo knee surgery, she said she hasn’t worked for a few years but has benefited from getting food from the mobile food bank.

Rocha said she was able to make beef soup for her family that lasted a couple of days thanks to the resources from a past mobile food distribution.

“I like it, and I don’t get embarrassed anymore,” she said. “I need the food and my kids need it.”

Rocha had been in line for an hour behind Hilda Cardenas, who had been waiting close to an hour and a half.

Cardenas said in Spanish this was the second time she had received free produce from the food bank and immediately drove over to the church after her son told her about it.

“I haven’t worked in two years and stay at home to care for my kids, so this is a blessing,” Cardenas said.

She said she’s never on social media and isn’t aware of when the events happen, so the last time she drove to the food bank distribution was last year when they gave out turkeys for Thanksgiving.

“It was the biggest turkey I had ever seen,” she said, laughing.

She said attending a second time will help make a few meals for her family.

According to Second Harvest’s 2022 Accountability Report, 1 in 8 people in Adams County are food insecure while 1 in 5 children are food insecure – a similar stat seen in nearby Grant and Okanogan counties.

However, Garza wants to remind people that food insecurity comes through other challenges, which is why he said the partnerships they have are important.

This would include partnerships with Second Harvest, Skill Source for people who want to get their GED, OIC of Washington for utility assistance and Harvest Against Hunger that also helps reduce food insecurity and food waste.

“The goal to eliminate (food insecurity) is not just supporting food banks. It’s education. It’s showing them how to grow a garden. It’s a lot of factors,” Garza said.

The next time Second Harvest will stop in Othello will be Sept. 12; however, Othello Food Bank is locally available to help community members who may need extra assistance until then.