Recent History

 

2010 Bite of Skagit takes a bite out of hunger!

By all accounts, the 2nd annual Bite of Skagit was a great success! Attendance at the July 31st downtown Mount Vernon event more than doubled this year, with 1,000 - 1,500 guests coming out to enjoy the outdoor event with delicious bites from local restaurants, beer & wine from 3 local breweries and winery and live music from Marcia Kester, Homegrown Tomatoes and Chris & Mary Brown. We had a total of 39 cash and in-kind sponsors that helped pay for the cost of the event. All of last year's restaurants participated again this year, plus 5 new participants for a total of 10 food vendors.  We are already hearing from more restaurants anxious to participate in 2011.  New participant Taqueria El Milagro was voted "Best Bite" of 2010 for their tacos.Graham Kerr hosted the Cooking Corner, where his team, Margaret Horak and Barbara Kehoe conducted cooking demonstrations of recipes developed especially for the Bite of Skagit, using fresh and best in season (F.A.B.I.S.) fruits and vegetables. 

We raised $6,758 for Skagit Food Share Alliance this year. There are numerous "intangible" benefits to the Bite of Skagit as well. In addition to much needed funds, the Bite of Skagit raises awareness of both the problem of and the solutions to hunger in Skagit County. The Bite of Skagit also brings people in our community together, promotes the downtown area of Mount Vernon and forms invaluable relationships amongst community leaders.

We chose to hold the Bite of Skagit in conjunction with the  Annual Downtown Mount Vernon Merchant's Sidewalk Sale and the Farmer's Market. We collaborated together to cross-promote these events. Both the organizer of the Sidewalk Sale, Nancy Springer, and the Director of the Farmer's Market, Ron Farrell, reported higher attendance than usual and they both want to collaborate again next year.

 Participating sponsors, food vendors, breweries, wineries, and local musicians all gain media and public exposure for their businesses, which, especially in this economy, helps support local small business in Skagit County.

We collaborated with Dr. Diana Morelli of the Economic Development Association of Skagit County (EDASC) and Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), to invite event participation from the Skagit County Latino community. Taqueria El Milagro participated as a result of Dr. Morelli's efforts, and we have already heard from additional Latino restaurants who want to participate next year.

North Coast Credit Union Awarded for Bite of Skagit (09/10)

 

North Coast Credit Union to be awarded Legacy Award for their contributions to the Bite of Skagit.  From a Press Release by the Washington Credit Union Foundation: "The Washington Credit Union Foundation will be honoring the best and brightest of the credit union movement for their community service at its annual Summit Awards Gala on Thursday, September 16, 2010.

The Foundation's Legacy Award, which recognizes credit unions and affiliate organizations that use grant funds to develop community outreach and public education, will go to North Coast Credit Union in Bellingham for its support of Bite of Skagit.

'The Washington Credit Union Foundation is so pleased to be able to assist credit unions and their community partners in making such a significant difference in their areas, all the while highlighting the credit union philosophy,' says the Awards Committee Chair Earlene Fantz, CEO of American Lake CU. 'North Coast Credit Union's Bite of Skagit is a very unique project, involving many community partners, which is what made it stand out to receive this honor.'

President and CEO of North Coast Credit Union, Terry Belcoe, was justifiably thrilled to win the Legacy Award for a project his credit union feels so passionate about. 'There is no reason that, in one of the richest agricultural regions in the world, anyone should go to bed hungry,' said Belcoe. "Also, we need to support local farm families by paying them a fair price for the food we acquire through the [Skagit Food Share Alliance] program, and not just keep asking them to contribute.'

'It's just another example of credit unions coming together to put their money where their hearts are,' added Belcoe."

 

Humble beginnings

In this, one of the most fertile agricultural regions on earth, healthy foods grow from tiny seeds.  Likewise, good things can grow from small ideas too.

It all started with a conversation between North Coast Credit Union President/CEO Terry Belcoe and Executive Director of Skagit County Community Action Agency (SCCAA) Bill Henkle and Executive Director of Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland (SPF) Alan Rozema.  They met to explore the possibility of developing a "farms to food banks" program that would operate through the food bank distribution center, managed by SCCAA.  This program would make it possible to provide local food banks with more nutritional options for those who must rely on food banks to feed their families.

It was from these early conversations that  Skagit Food Share Alliance was formed, not as an agency in and of itself, but rather as a collaborative partnership between Skagit County Community Action Agency, North Coast Credit Union and Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland, in which they could work to meet their twin goals of "Supporting local agriculture; ending local hunger."

In 2010 Skagit County Community Action Agency and North Coast Credit Union were happy to welcome Skagit Valley Food Co-op to the alliance.

For it's part, the team at North Coast Credit Union took on the responsibility of designing and managing an annual fundraising event, aimed at providing the necessary funding to acquire local produce and support the food bank distribution center operation. 

In June 2008, we held the first "Food Share Festival" at Maiben Park in Burlington.  Through the efforts of many volunteers, and the culinary skills of Chefs Graham Kerr, Tom French, and Charles Claasen, the event raised not only needed funds for the Skagit Food Share Alliance, but more importantly, it raised awareness of this collaboration and the community needs that it was formed to address.

The Bite of Skagit concept came about in the Spring of 2009, as a result of Skagit Food Share Alliance's collaboration with Paul Springer, owner of Trumpeter Public House and his brother Bruce Springer, owner of Empire Ale House, both of the Mount Vernon Downtown Association. 

On August 1, 2009, we took our fundraiser to the next level, holding the first Annual Bite of Skagit event in downtown Mount Vernon. It featured live music, special guest Graham Kerr, local  "pioneer" food vendors Costco, Skagit Valley Food Co-op, The Farmhouse Restaurant, The Soup Bowl, Train Wreck and Trumpeter Public House, and a Beer Garden hosted by Empire Ale House.  With the money raised for the Skagit Food Share Alliance, the media coverage received, and many happy guests who made the event so successful, the Bite of Skagit was now "on the map" as one of the hallmark summer events in Skagit County. 

Big Dreams ~ 2011 and Beyond

We believe the Bite of Skagit has unlimited growth potential. In 2010, we doubled vendor and sponsor participation, started new and valuable relationships, have a new professional logo, and we launched a new Bite of Skagit website, thanks to Big Fresh Media who both sponsored and designed the new logo and website.  Sky's the limit!