$11,000 Raised To Help Lakewood's Emergency Food Network

LAKEWOOD, WA — The coronavirus outbreak has caused layoffs and record unemployment spikes. As a result, the need for food assistance has also skyrocketed across the country.

But in Lakewood, local donors are making sure residents of Pierce County can get the food they desperately need. A fundraiser for the Emergency Food Network in Lakewood launched Tuesday morning, and by noon had already blown past its $8,000 goal to raise over $11,000.

The fundraiser continues through Wednesday and the network is still encouraging everyone to donate and help out. They say for each dollar they raise in this fundraiser, they'll be able to give five meals to someone in need.

And the need is great. According to the Emergency Food Network, one in seven people in the county are food insecure, meaning they cannot guarantee where their next meal will come from. Worse, one in five children in Pierce County is also food insecure. In total 1.3 million people visit food pantries or meal sites in the county each year, and over half of those people are children or senior citizens.

The fundraiser is part of the state-wide GiveBIG WA initiative, raising money for non-profit organizations all across Washington. You can donate or find more information on the Emergency Network's fundraiser here, or you can find fundraisers for a variety of other nonprofits at GiveBIG's homepage here.

Individual donations will be matched by the Simply Organic Giving Fund.