Birchwood Food Desert Fighters ask community for help to promote local food access
A group of neighbors working to address food insecurity in Bellingham’s Birchwood neighborhood is asking for help from the community to meet immediate fresh food needs.
The Birchwood Food Desert Fighters (BFDF) is a branch of the Whatcom Human Rights Task Force. The group formed in response to the closing of the Park Manor Albertsons grocery store in the neighborhood in 2016.
The BFDF works to promote greater food access and a sense of community by organizing local food and garden-sharing networks. The group also works to meet immediate food needs in the neighborhood by hosting weekly food distributions and stocking eight community food share boxes.
“We’ve really come together to restore grocery access to the neighborhood and make sure that grocery access isn’t something that is going to further gentrify the neighborhood, isn’t something is going to be inaccessible to the people who need it the most and that people are able to access food with dignity,” said Tina McKim, one of the group’s founding steering committee members.
In 2023, BFDF distributed a record 74,000 pounds of food at its weekly Saturday Share Spot.
Now, the group is asking for additional funding and donation support through a GoFundMe before local farm produce helps supplement food distribution in the late spring and summer.
“We have roughly 10 weeks to go until we start receiving farm donations again and funds are running low. We are reaching out to the community to support this long-running mutual aid project. Current produce costs each week are $250-$350, and eggs are $220-$360 every other week, but prices are going up,” the GoFundMe webpage states.
A “non-compete” clause on Albertsons’ former space is in effect until 2042, preventing another grocer from opening in the same location. The closure raised concerns about residents’ access to affordable food with the nearest grocery store now more than a mile away.
“Everyone just assumed that another grocery store was going to go in, and it didn’t,” McKim told The Bellingham Herald.
The Birchwood neighborhood is more demographically diverse than other areas of Bellingham with many low-income residents, seniors and people with disabilities. Many walk or use public transportation to get groceries.
Birchwood Manor is a federally subsidized apartment complex for senior low-income residents in the Birchwood neighborhood.
Many residents at Birchwood Manor are experiencing health challenges or have disabilities that prevent them from easily getting groceries. Many experience isolation in their homes and have lived there for more than 20 years.
A resident of the apartments spoke to The Herald anonymously about the impact of the Birchwood Food Desert Fighters on the residents there.
“Because the Birchwood Food Desert Fighters are right here in the neighborhood ... it gives people close access and they have a good variety of food,” the resident said. “There’s always high protein, fresh vegetables and not processed.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food deserts as regions of the country that often feature large proportions of households with low incomes, inadequate access to transportation, and a limited number of food retailers providing fresh produce and healthy groceries for affordable prices.
“The Albertsons closure made it incredibly difficult for a large portion of the neighborhood to access food,” McKim said. “It’s hard to try and get all your groceries by bus for one thing, especially if you are somebody who has children or if you are somebody who has a disability.”
The Birchwood Food Desert Fighters is actively looking for more donations and volunteers to help distribute food.
To get involved with the Saturday Share Spot, sign up at https://volunteersignup.org/LA9W9
Bellingham’s eight community food share boxes are located at:
▪ 2833 Birchwood Ave.
▪ 3138 Cherrywood Ave.
▪ 2715 Cedarwood Ave.
▪ 3248 Firwood Ave.
▪ 3329 Pinewood Ave.
▪ 3315 Northwest Ave.
▪ 3127 Bennett Dr.
▪ 2930 Patton St.
