San Juan County is proud to reflect on the successful partnership with Alimentando al Pueblo – a Latinx food bank from Burien, WA – who joined the San Juan County Health and Community Services Department in celebrating National Hispanic American Heritage Month. Together, the groups hosted events on Orcas and San Juan Island that connected members of the Latinx community with healthcare services.
To commemorate the end of summer, Orcas Island Food Bank (0IFB) and Alimentando al Pueblo (AAP) held a cultural celebration fiesta on September 16, featuring complimentary tacos by Delmy Sanches and music by Mariachi Alma Nueva and DJ SHESGUCCI. This bilingual event with a meet-and-greet information booth provided resources in English and Spanish with staff from Safe San Juans and the Orcas Community Resource Center.
“I heard modern Latin and hip-hop music and smelled spicy food,” said Jeff Hanson of the OIFB Board. “The Fiesta was just getting underway with DJ SHESGUCCI, Delmy’s tacos, a table with folks sharing information about community services and a whole lot of smiling faces on people from all walks of life! The evening was festive, and it felt like a community coming together.”
On September 17, the AAP team traveled to San Juan Island for a ‘Fair and Fiesta.’ The island community joined together to host a ‘Health Fair’ and free salmon dinner. Participating groups included: The Community Health workers from the Joyce L Sobel Family Resource Center, volunteers from the Latinx Advisory group in partnership with San Juan County Health and Community Services, Peace Health, Safe San Juans, Friday Harbor Food Bank, Mullis Community Senior Center, Acasa Pharmacy, San Juan Island Library, Compass Health, San Juan Island EMS, and Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor.
Chef Andy from Peace Health and his team served over 120 meals with fresh, flavorful foods featuring Lummi reef net caught salmon, local Sweet Earth Farm grown tomato gazpacho, and Horchata rice pudding. Over 50 COVID and flu vaccinations were given. The Friday Harbor Food Bank provided tours of their space and updates on expansion plans. It was an evening of outreach and community relationship building.
Thank you to the powerful and heartfelt all-women team of Alimentando al Pueblo for co-hosting these events and for your continued education and support. These events were made possible by grant funding from the WSDA and SNAP Ed through San Juan County Health and Community Services along with sponsorships by Peace Health, Safe San Juans, and the Mullis Community Senior Center.
