The USDA states that 40% of food in America and 50% of produce, worth $161 billion, gets discarded. Astonishingly however, 50 million Americans are food insecure. These polarized issues need to be bridged to have a healthier and sustainable future.
In Kitsap County 30% of adults are food insecure, and 35% of children need free or reduced lunches. Visits to food banks have increased 70% since 2006. Food banks are serving 48,000 residents a year.
In 2025 we collected extra produce from community gardens, households, urban fruit trees, from local farmers at both the Port Orchard and Bremerton Farmers Markets, from Central Kitsap Food Bank and Bremerton Foodline, as well as Sprouts Farmers Market, preventing almost 100,000 lbs of food from ending up in the landfill, while distributing 84,000 lbs of fresh and shelf stable foods to 42 locations across Kitsap County, reaching an estimated 1200 individuals.
Goals of Kitsap Harvest:
- Establish a volunteer lead gleaning program, structured primarily by community stakeholders which utilizes a strong and self-sustained volunteer assembly and encompasses previous food recovery efforts.
- Work with and create lasting communication among farmers, local growers, food banks, and volunteers in order to strengthen gleaning and harvesting activities.
- Promote and organize gleaning events; continue to record and cultivate data with the purpose of preparing and improving outcome.
