Client
Food Lifeline, Western Washington
Focus Area
- Health
- Food Security
Phases
- Discover
- Design
- Implement
Key Products and Services
- Community needs assessment
- Literature review
- Ecosystem mapping
- Community and stakeholder engagement
- Data collection and analysis
- Project management
The Challenge
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant vulnerabilities in Western Washington’s food system. Rising food and housing costs, systemic inequalities, stigma, leadership burnout, and service gaps made it clear that traditional food banking models alone could not close the hunger gap.
Before creating a new five-year Community Impact Plan, Food Lifeline, a Feeding America affiliate, wanted a deeper understanding of the region’s food insecurity and food ecosystem that was based on lived experiences. Social Contract gathered and analyzed stakeholder insights from Western Washington’s food ecosystem. These insights serve as a data-driven foundation for Food Lifeline’s future programs, services, and overall impact.
Our Approach
Food Lifeline partnered with Social Contract to design and lead a comprehensive community needs assessment. Throughout the assessment, Social Contract placed the voices of community partners, frontline staff, and food-insecure residents at the center of the process.
Our work focused on:
- Collaborative design of the assessment plan with Food Lifeline leadership and staff
- Engagement with more than 140 stakeholders across 12 counties, including local food banks, community leaders, partner organizations, and residents. This included:
- Extensive on-site data collection and interactive feedback methods, including interviews, focus groups, surveys, and community walks
- Virtual engagement and data analysis activities involving more than 180 partners, community members, Food Lifeline staff and Board members
- Workshops with Food Lifeline leadership and staff to turn insights into action
Based on Food Lifeline’s interest in addressing the historical and systemic inequities contributing to food insecurity, Social Contract used a community-focused approach to the needs assessment. We considered environmental justice, food equity, cultural humility, and intersectionality. The assessment resulted in recommendations that could shift food equity efforts from a traditional model of direct food distribution to a more holistic, systems-level approach that includes advocacy, education, economic empowerment, and collaboration with community stakeholders.
Results
By early 2025, Social Contract delivered:
- A comprehensive report with actionable recommendations for improving food access across the region
- A shared prioritization framework co-created with Food Lifeline leadership
- Recommendations for strengthening partnerships, advocacy, and culturally relevant food systems
- Clear guidance for building a more resilient, equitable food ecosystem
Food banks and health agencies across the country are recognizing that solving hunger means tackling systemic barriers and partnering with the communities they serve. With the comprehensive understanding of food insecurity in their region, Food Lifeline is now positioned to:
- Redesign outreach to better serve marginalized populations
- Strengthen cross-sector collaboration
- Expand the focus beyond food distribution to include priorities for community investment, advocacy, education, and systems change
- Inform Food Lifeline’s 2025 strategic plan and future decisions
Working with the Social Contract team was an exceptional experience in every aspect… They didn’t shy away from sharing hard truths while also recognizing successes. The final report was expertly framed and articulated, providing a strong foundation for our upcoming five-year strategic plan. More than just consultants, they were true partners—thoughtful, engaged, and committed to real impact.”
Amythst Shipman – Director of Project Management, Food Lifeline