PUGET SOUND LABOR AGENCY AFL-CIO

Seattle, Washington, 98108 United States

Mission Statement

The Puget Sound Labor Agency AFL-CIO (PSLA) is an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for union and community members in need of assistance.

About This Cause

We, the Puget Sound Labor Agency food bank, have been a reliable source of healthy food for our Seattle neighbors for over 48 years. Every week, our small organization gives out an average of 10,000+ pounds of food -- bread, fresh produce, canned goods, dairy and dairy alternatives, meat and meat alternatives, and miscellaneous hygiene products. The new high-cost environment has made our distributions of healthy food more necessary than ever for our clients, over half of whom are from BIPOC communities. Given the unpredictable nature of this pandemic, however, the number of people we serve has risen, while our volunteer numbers have fallen. HISTORY Since the late 19th century, Seattle has been known for its strong support of labor movements and worker’s rights. The organization of the West Central Labor Union in 1888, strengthened in the early 20th century through the support of numerous other trade unions, led to the largely unsuccessful Seattle General Strike of 1919. The following decades saw a decline in the strength of region-wide labor movements, due in part to the Great Depression and WWII. Despite these hardships, individual unions continued to flourish, and in 1942 a new Labor Temple was built to provide offices for wartime workforce groups to organize new unions, and to sustain older unions as they continued to grow in membership and influence. Our food bank was formed in the 1970's by James K. Bender, Executive Secretary Treasurer of the King County Labor Council, to provide food for union members hurt financially by the Arab Oil Embargo of 1974. Although we now distribute healthy foods and hygiene products to any local resident in need, several current and former union members are regularly served by PSLA. In the last half-century, as Seattle has grown and Belltown has changed, our mission remains the same: to provide high-quality food to those in need, and to treat all of our clients with the dignity and respect they deserve as human beings. OPERATIONS DURING CORONAVIRUS Before indoor gathering restrictions were put in place, we were able to serve our clients inside our building, letting them move from room to room and choose any items they wanted. When the pandemic began and indoor operations were no longer allowed, we wanted our distribution process to still be personable and friendly. So rather than loading up boxes to give to clients, full of the food items we picked, we developed a market-style service method. Three days a week, we set up folding tables, empty milk crates, and canopies in the alley behind the Labor Temple, where we hand out food items by section -- protein, dairy, produce, and dry goods. During this pandemic, we have also given out masks, hand sanitizer, and spray cleaners so our clients can better protect themselves and their loved ones from sickness. We hold onto items like household goods, medicines, and feminine care products, to be given out upon request to both clients of the food bank and union members who we work with in the Labor Temple. And while we generally operate at full capacity, our vision for the future sees a larger operation able to serve even more of our neighbors without stress or strain. COVID-19 has exacerbated the problem of food insecurity in our state. According to a new study by the University of Washington, about 30% of households in Washington are not food secure; in 2017, that number was 11.5%. Of that 30%, 59% of households have young children, 58% make less than $15,000/year, and 42% are People of Color. In Belltown, we can see the people behind those numbers, and have watched as every week, scores of new clients come through our distribution line because they cannot afford the food they could before. FOOD INSECURITY AND RACIAL DISPARITY Our clientele is very diverse; out of every 100 people we serve, 57 are People of Color. Communities of Color have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, due to a variety of reasons now being addressed by the city and this task force. We believe that addressing and solving the problem of food insecurity in Seattle helps to create a foundation of financial and physical wellness, from which people can build a just, equitable future for themselves and their communities. For perspective, below is a simple table comparing Seattle’s demographic make-up with the make-up of our clients: ______________________________________________________________________________ Seattle Demographics: White/Caucasian: 64.5% Asian/Asian-American: 14.9% Black/African-American: 6.8% Spanish/Hispanic/Latinx: 6.6% Multi-Racial: 6.0% Native American/Alaskan: 0.5% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.3% Total % of Residents from BIPOC Communities: 35.5 PSLA Demographics*: White/Caucasian: 32.6% Asian/Asian-American: 26.1% Black/African-American: 14.7% Spanish/Hispanic/Latinx: 6.9% Multi-Racial: 5.7% Native American/Alaskan: 3.3% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.4% Total % of Clients from BIPOC Communities: 57.1 *Note: due to a high number of new clients, PSLA demographic information is currently incomplete. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Belltown is an ever-changing neighborhood, for better or worse. The construction of new high-rises, pricing out long-term tenants due to rising rent costs, is changing the personality of the neighborhood. This accelerated change, due to the numerous business closures and increased homelessness in 2020, puts our clients at risk of being completely priced out of the area in the future. This slow, steady gentrification of Belltown has disproportionately forced out BIPOC communities in the past; this pattern will not change unless the underlying problem of historic inequity is solved. In the meantime, we will keep working. THE FUTURE OF PSLA Our 4-person team, with help from one Americorp sponsor and the Washington National Guard, has been able to maintain regular operations during the pandemic without many problems. In a few months, though, things may look very different. With no secured space yet to move our facility, we will be operating with a skeleton crew and volunteers to continue distributing food while making these huge changes.

PUGET SOUND LABOR AGENCY AFL-CIO
5300 4Th Ave S Room 126
Seattle, Washington 98108
United States
Phone 12535086631
Unique Identifier 910927902