The COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn hit low-income families and families of color the hardest, leading to increased food and living costs. In November 2022, the US Consumer Price Index reported a 12% rise in prices for food prepared at home and a 10% increase in gas prices over the previous 12 months. This situation demands an urgent response, and that’s exactly what the City of Seattle’s Human Services Department (HSD) is delivering.
We are excited to announce our latest effort to improve access to nutritious and culturally relevant food for low-income households in Seattle. We have issued a call for applications to strengthen Seattle’s food systems currently led by the Seattle Food Committee (SFC) and Meals Partnership Coalition (MPC), two organizations that are already working tirelessly to pool resources, share strategies, collect data, and generate collective actions to improve food security and access to nutritious food for low-income families in Seattle.
We are looking for applications in the following service areas:
- Nutritious food sourcing (formerly Bulk Buy);
- Transportation of procured food; and
- Network administrative support.
If you are interested, we encourage you to apply for one of these funding opportunities. If selected, you will have a chance to work closely with the networks, their Nutritious Food Sourcing (formerly Bulk Buy) subcommittees, and an estimated 28 food banks and 28 meal programs that receive services through these networks. Together, we can make a real impact in the lives of those who need it most.
This is an open and competitive process, with up to $1,768,928 in HSD General Fund dollars available through this Request for Qualifications (RFQ). The initial awards will be made for the contract period of January 1, to December 31, 2024, with a possibility of contract renewal for an additional three years. We strongly encourage all applicants to align with our values-based purchasing approach, which seeks to align public dollars with values such as equity, community health, local economy, environmental sustainability, and fair labor.
For more information, and all RFQ materials, please visit HSD’s Funding Opportunities web page: http://www.seattle.gov/humanservices/funding-and-reports/funding-opportunities. Completed applications must be submitted by 12:00 p.m. PDT, on Tuesday, April 11, 2023. If you have any questions or require assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Tan Mei Teo, Funding Process Coordinator, at tan-mei.teo@seattle.gov