Fresh Results Awards
At the Washington Food Coalition, we believe in the power of community-led solutions to end hunger and build a more resilient food system. In partnership with the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), we are proud to present the Fresh Results Award - an initiative that celebrates innovation and impact across our state’s emergency food network.
We are currently seeking nominations for growers, producers, farmers, and food-growing partners who are making a difference in their communities. This award honors those who are addressing food insecurity through creative, collaborative, and sustainable approaches.
Nominees must be growers, farmers, or producers who are directly connected to a food bank or emergency food site and have contributed to providing or increasing access to fresh produce at that site. Submit your nomination today and help us recognize the people and organizations growing a better future for Washington. Winners will be announced at our annual conference in Kennewick, September 17-19, 2025.
Nominations must be submitted by August 1, 2025 at 5pm.
Announcing the 2024-2025 Fresh Results Award Winners:
Clallam County Farm Gleaning Program
Serving Clallam and Jefferson Counties
The Clallam County Farm Gleaning Program is a collaborative initiative that connects surplus produce from local farms to families in need through a well-organized volunteer gleaning effort. In 2024 alone, volunteers gleaned over 20,000 pounds of produce from River Run Farm. These fresh foods were distributed through the Sequim and Port Angeles Food Banks, reaching an estimated 5,000 households each month.
The Sequim Food Bank plays a key role in recruiting and coordinating weekly volunteer gleans, while the Port Angeles Food Bank installed a produce washing station this year to better prepare the harvested food for distribution. They also expanded their reach by coordinating delivery to the Forks Food Bank, ensuring tribal food banks in West Clallam County benefit from the fresh produce.
This initiative not only reduces food waste, but it also strengthens the local food system and builds community resilience. Looking ahead, the team is exploring new ways to preserve excess produce, like cauliflower, cucumbers, and kale, so it can be safely stored and distributed throughout the year.
Project Partners:
River Run Farm – Noah Bresler
WSU Extension – Benji Astrachan
Sequim Food Bank – Andra Smith
Port Angeles Food Bank – Emily Dexter
Grow Your Own Row - Northeast Washington Hunger Coalition
Serving Ferry, Stevens, and Pend Oreille Counties
The Grow Your Own Row project, led by the Northeast Washington Hunger Coalition (NEWHC), is an inspiring gardening education program that empowers food pantry clients to grow their own food. What started as a creative solution to a delayed harvest season has blossomed into a region-wide effort involving WSU SNAP-Ed, Meadowlark Farm, Huckleberry Range Collective, local Master Gardeners, and many more community partners.
In 2024, NEWHC hosted 17 free gardening classes at food pantry and senior living locations, providing participants with plant starts, seeds, soil, grow bags, and hands-on training. Nearly 400 individuals participated, learning valuable skills in growing their own vegetables and developing a deeper connection to their food. The excitement didn’t end at the workshops; participants stayed engaged by sending photos, asking questions throughout the season, and sharing their garden successes.
The impact is clear; more than a third of participants said they would not have started a garden without the program. By breaking down financial and knowledge barriers, Grow Your Own Row is cultivating not just gardens, but community health and empowerment.
Project Lead:
Stephani Smith, Executive Director – NEWHC
Key Contributors:
WSU SNAP-Ed, Meadowlark Farm, Huckleberry Range Collective (Dana Combest), Master Gardeners of Ferry, Stevens & Pend Oreille Counties
2024-2025 Fresh Results Award Nominees
We’re proud to recognize two outstanding projects that, although not selected as this year’s award winners, deserve celebration for their commitment to addressing hunger, building resilience, and fostering community connections.
Food Bank Growers & PT Gleaners – Port Townsend, WA
Since 2012, Food Bank Growers (FBG) and PT Gleaners have built a thriving network of 13 community gardens and one 70-tree orchard, in addition to gleaning from more than 300 backyard trees each fall. This remarkable grassroots effort consistently delivers thousands of pounds of fresh produce to food banks, schools, senior centers, and community organizations throughout Jefferson County.
During the peak of summer, Food Bank Growers provide up to 20% of the fresh produce found at the local food bank, with fruits and vegetables harvested less than 24 hours before distribution. In 2024 alone, over 14,000 pounds of food, grown at local schools or gleaned from nearby backyards, were used to support the Port Townsend School District’s scratch-cooked school lunch program.
The program embodies a full-circle partnership: when schools break for summer, surplus lettuce heads to the food bank. When the food bank has extra produce, it’s sent to schools. And year-round, FBG volunteers tend the gardens to ensure production never stops. Their impact goes beyond food access; they’re planting seeds of change in the next generation. Increasingly, families are taking vegetable starts home, inspired to grow their own food and deepen their relationship with fresh, local produce.
For more on this inspiring school-food collaboration, check out “Interplanted,” now available on Amazon.
Tomato Plants Project – Loon Lake Food Bank
Sometimes, the simplest acts of kindness have the greatest impact. For years, Susan and Ken Hanson have been quietly making a big difference in their community by growing tomato plants in their greenhouse each spring and donating them to the Loon Lake Food Bank for distribution to neighbors in need.
Each year, their beautiful tomato starts bring excitement and hope to food bank clients and volunteers alike. With 350 households served weekly, and nearly 50% of clients taking home a tomato plant, this project helps empower people, regardless of garden size, to grow a bit of their own food. For many, it’s a bright spot to look forward to every spring.
While some families may not have the space for a full garden, a single tomato plant is manageable, meaningful, and delicious. The project is not only about nourishment—it’s about dignity, encouragement, and the generosity of two people deeply rooted in community.
As shared by Liz Bauer at Loon Lake Food Bank:
"Keep the faith and hope - there are always kind and giving people everywhere."