2021 has been a HISTORIC year! For us, it’s all been about how do we meet the needs of the students in our school systems. Thanks to your continued support, FEEST has been able to expand into a new high school, to further build our movement.
We’ve been able to provide safe and healthy spaces for young people — the students who go hungry, who get left behind, who get discriminated against. 2021 was about building youth power, strengthening our base, nourishing our relationships, and weaving in radical joy every step of the way!
We are so happy to share this year’s highlights, and we hope you enjoy our yearly recap of the powerful moments with our community!
This year FEEST was honored to learn and listen from Adar & Heena. Two incredible youth organizers that are a part of the FEEST Fam! We are thankful for their thoughtfulness and dedication to community organizing. Check out their interviews below!
I think young people should start getting involved in their community from a young age, like middle school or freshman year. You can look at what’s going on and ask questions about why this is happening. Youth are the ones experiencing these issues and they can get an early start on shaping their future.
Food is a basic necessity. Why do we keep having to protest for our basic necessities?…I like that FEEST doesn’t sugarcoat the issue and we have real talk about justice. A lot of students of color are really excited to be activists, and FEEST is a place where you can start your journey.
When schools closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many students who relied on school meals could no longer get them. As unemployment rose, families who were already food insecure experienced additional hardship. We responded swiftly, shifting from our regular programming to create something new.
Thanks to the support of around 200 volunteers, we started making grocery deliveries for the first few months. We used feedback from this program to inform our next grocery program, in which we provided grocery gift cards along with PPE provided by King County.
Using Visa gift cards empowers our youth and families to be in choice about the items they need and where to shop. While we have not opened the program up for new applications since October 2020, we are continuing to work through the waitlist until we have provided gift cards for each family. As of July 2021, 478 households, for a total of 2,274 individuals, have been served through our grocery gift card program. We had the opportunity to highlight a few of these volunteers and hear why doing this work is important to them.
Check out our Volunteer Spotlights Below!
FEEST was able to host our 9th consecutive Summer Camp for youth leaders in South King County this year! Youth leaders at Summer Camp got an opportunity to develop their analysis as organizers, identify the systems of power that impact their lives, and build relationships with each other before the new school year. We now have full teams at all the high schools we are at, continuously building a stronger base of organizers.
Want to see more highlights from this year?
Check out Our Annual Report Below!
Can you help FEEST by donating today? We love and appreciate gifts of any size!
We have a goal of reaching 100 donors before 2022. The money from our dedicated supporters contributes to:
- Our expansion into Franklin High School, with Franklin students joining their peers at Chief Sealth, Evergreen, Rainier Beach, and Tyee to organize for real youth-led change in our school systems.
- Running youth-led campaigns to make our schools vibrant learning centers that support the long-term growth and holistic wellness of students and our communities.
- Youth at FEEST growing in their power, confidence, and leadership as they develop the skills needed to become life-long organizers!
Together, we are building power to create real change in our communities while infusing radical joy into our work toward liberation. If you would like to sign up to continuously support us, instead of making a one-time donation, consider joining FEEST’s Big Table monthly donor program and support youth leaders today and every day!
Our movement for justice in schools is fueled by community members like you who believe in the power of young people.
Thank You!