Shoreline Mayor Roberts proclaims Day of Concern for the Hungry

From left: Mayor Chris Robert presents the proclamation to
Rev. Marshall of St. Dunstan's and Safeway employee Josef Hinkofer
who started the feeding program at St. Dunstan's.

At the September 19 Shoreline Council meeting, Mayor Chris Roberts proclaimed it the Mayor’s Day of Concern for the Hungry in Shoreline.

He urged all Shoreline citizens to support local food banks and weekly meal programs offered by local congregations with donations of food, funds, and time.

The Mayors’ Day of Concern for the Hungry provides an opportunity for cities to spotlight the needs and efforts their communities are taking to address hunger as a local concern.

In Shoreline, fully one in four of our residents lacks the income to assure food security. This means that they are making difficult choices between necessities and often rely on community resources for support. These resources include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), food banks, weekend food backpacks for school kids, and meal programs.

Two congregations in Shoreline, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, provide weekly community meals to help address hunger in the Shoreline community. A third group of churches is planning a weekly community meal at Ronald UMC for Ronald Commons.

Rev. David Marshall of St. Dunstan’s accepted the proclamation from the Mayor, with Josef Hinkofer, who started the feeding program by making dinners for Tent City.

Using this excess food from just one supermarket every Tuesday evening, members of the St. Dunstan’s congregation and members of the community come together to prepare and serve a community meal feeding over 100 people. They also prepare and distribute an additional 200 meals to five different homeless camps in the region.

Rev. Marshall’s and St. Dunstan’s commitment to fighting food insecurity and hunger are great examples of how the Shoreline community can come together to help those in need.

Hinkofer is a Safeway employee who helped start their gleaning program. Safeway provides food they would otherwise throw away to support the feeding program. Hinkofer is also on the board of Greater Seattle Cares. GSC is one of St Dunstan's ministry partners helping / supporting the tent city communities.