BUILDING A BETTER FOOD FUTURE2019 ANNUAL REpORT

2019 was another year of change, growth and impact. Thank you for being a part of it.

this year we learned the degree to which re-shaping our food landscape is a shared desire. People from all walks of life crave the ability to access healthy food and provide it to their families.

We are tackling an enormous challenge, and we’re glad to have you with us. This year our programming reached more people than ever, we forged creative

and impactful new partnerships, and generous new donors and supporters came to the table.

Thank you for walking with us as we change our food supply for good — for better, forever, and for all.

Kurt Beecher Dammeier, Founder Sara Morris, President

2019 YEAR IN REVIEW

OUR MISSIONThe Beecher’s Foundation is on a mission to build a better food future for all.

through direct programming for children, teens, and adults, we educate and inspire people to eat real food and vote with every food dollar. Our goal is to change our food supply for good — for better, forever, and for all.

WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO

The American diet is killing us. Doing better is a moral and economic imperative.

•   Diet-related disease is now the number one cause of death in America.

•   Health outcomes are perniciously  inequitable across income levels.

•   Only one in ten adults get the  recommended daily serving of fruits and vegetables.

•   Life expectancy in King County  can differ by as much as by 14 years for women and 18 years for men by zip code — disparities that are driven in large part by diet-related health issues.

•   Nearly 60% of the calories that  Americans eat each day come from “ultra-processed” foods.

OUR VALUES

1 IMPACTDriving for results.No excuses.

IMPATIenCeIn a hurry to make change, dangit. 2

5PIoneerIngForging new paths, unbound by convention.

JusTICeFood education for all. 4

3 CAnDorSpeaking directly; listening intently.

v

Our Pure Food Kids Workshop (PFK) teaches 4th and  5th graders to become Food Detectives, equipped with the knowledge and tools to make healthy choices for life.

pfk is a commercial-free, learning standards-aligned food education class delivered in classrooms across Washington state and New York City. Students learn to read labels, understand how ingredient lists are ordered, see through marketing messages and cook from scratch (that’s where the magic happens!). The program is available at no cost to public, private, charter and home schools.

This year, 26,948 students became  Food Detectives, for a cumulative total of 169,542 since 2006. Learning gains  are consistently strong (46 basis point  increases in understanding of calories, ingredient lists and marketing tactics)  and after one year, 36% of students  report having made lasting changes to the foods they eat.

FOR YOUTH

4th Grade Workshop ParticipantPure FooD kIDS WorkShoP

I enjoyed making and eating the chili and listening to the cool and surprising facts. I will be much more careful about the food I can eat.—

STuDeNTS Have beCOme FOOD DeTeCTiveS…

iN THiS Year aLONe!

sInCe 2006,

26,948

169,542

FOR TEENSWe are testing and refining a new teen program aimed at high school freshman.

the curriculum is focused on marketing (what tactics do companies employ to sell heavily sugared products?); equity and access (which populations are most heavily targeted by food companies and why?); and agency (how can teens wield influence and use their voice to demand better?). 

We are excited to continue learning and  refining this portion of our programming.

9th Graderclover Park hIGh School

I learned a lot of new facts about food and how people can lie on packaging.—

The Sound Food uprising Workshop for adults is the  anchor of our 10-year campaign to change the way Puget Sound eats. 

so much more than a cooking class, this workshop builds unity and agency through education and collaboration. Participants explore the origins of our food system, consumer power, and the ease (and joy!)  of cooking from scratch.

in 2019 over 1,000 employees in workplaces across Puget Sound completed Sound Food uprising workshops, for a total of over 2,700 since the program launched in 2017.

FOR ADULTS

   agree THeir iNDiviDuaL FOOD DeCiSiONS

CaN maKe a DiFFereNCe SHaPiNg THe FOOD SuPPLY iN Our regiON.

PrIor To TAKIng An ADuLT WorKsHoP…

AFTer THe WorKsHoP…

THaT Number JumPeD TO 89%

87% iNDiCaTe iNTeNT TO CHaNge THeir SHOPPiNg HabiTS

SaY THeY WiLL COOK mOre aT HOme86%

24%

FINANCIALS

admin

programming

community engagement

training, supplies + other

2019 expenditures: $1,436,846

sugar mountain

major gifts

earned revenue

2019 revenue: $1,307,358

2019 Unaudited Financials

pARTNERSWe had the great fortune this year to build on existing partnerships  and to forge new, creative ones.

our second year of place-based work in Pierce County is underway. in partnership with Clover Park Schools, we’ve expanded from three school sites to ten, and next year will implement our youth and teen

programming district-wide. We are also now teaching Pure Food Kids in Tacoma Public Schools. Special thanks to the  Tacoma rainiers and especially to mascot  rhubarb for some extra special moments.

Susan royce Duncan, TeacherMerIWeTher eleMeNTary School; PIerce couNTy, Wa

What an amazing experience for my students to analyze food labels and critically think about what kind of foods are really good or really bad for you.—

our long-standing partnership with Common Threads is expanding. Since 2016 we have trained their staff, who in turn teach PFK throughout the  bellingham School District. in 2020, Sound Food uprising workshops for adults will be added to their offerings.

in january 2020, we will begin a pilot project with the YmCa of greater Seattle. Our workshops  will be offered in the auburn, Coal Creek  (Newcastle) and West Seattle branches. To build on the principles of healthy eating learned in the workshops, families will have the opportunity to work with a YmCa healthy living coach to support them as they progress along their health journeys.

We are both committed to the health and well-being of our community, and to educating people of all ages, so this collaboration is an obvious one to pursue. We are excited to work with The Beecher’s Foundation to build and share knowledge around healthy eating and healthy living for the families and communities the y serves, especially those who need us most.—

laura Plaut, executive DirectorcoMMoN ThreaDS FarM; WhaTcoM couNTy, Wa

loria yeadon, President & ceoyMca oF GreaTer SeaTTle; kING couNTy, Wa

our partnership with The Beecher’s Foundation means that kids in Whatcom county are learning not only how to grow and prepare healthy food but also how to be discerning consumers and label readers. We aim to collaborate rather than replicate, and this has been a particularly happy example of how nicely collaboration can work for everyone!—

2020: WHAT’S NExT

Our STaFF   

Sara morris,  President

Shawna brennan,  Operations Manager

Catherine gerlach,  Director of Business Development

Kelly Lake,  Director of Programs

Jonathan Saturay,  Director of Operations, New York City

To learn about our cadre of talented classroom instructors, visit beechersfoundation.org/about.

After spending much of the last two years developing new programing for teens and adults, 2020 will see us refocus on our well-established youth program. Stay tuned for news on:

multimedia We’ll be testing the most effective means to augment the Pure Food Kids classroom experience with digital micro-lessons, animations and games to create added learning touch points, to reinforce awareness at key milestones, and to drive retention.

new geographies We’ll assess how quickly and widely we can expand our geographic footprint beyond Washington State and New York City.

training We’re exploring opportunities to partner with school districts, media companies and others to provide content in scalable ways.

THANK YOU FOR BEING A pARTNER AND A SUppORTER. Together, we can build a better food future for all!

ParTNerS 

school districtsauburn School Districtbellevue School Districtbellingham School DistrictClover Park School Districtedmonds School Districtenumclaw School Districteverett School DistrictFederal Way   School DistrictFerndale School District Fife Public SchoolsHighline School Districtissaquah School DistrictKent School DistrictLake Stevens    School DistrictLake Washington    School Districtmarysville School Districtmercer island    School Districtmonroe School Districtmt. baker School Districtmt. vernon School Districtmukilteo School DistrictNYC School Districts 1, 2,     3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 

13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

Northshore School DistrictOak Harbor Public SchoolsOrting School Districtrenton School Districtriverview School DistrictSeattle School District

Shoreline School DistrictSnohomish School DistrictSnoqualmie valley    School DistrictStanwood-Camano    School DistrictTacoma School DistrictTahoma School DistrictTukwila School District PFK is also taught in sev-eral independent, private and charter schools.

corporateAduroCostcoexpediaFirefly KitchensFred Hutchinson Cancer    research Centergrand Central bakeryinvestcomerlino FoodsNova NordiskPoint ruston, LLC PremeraPrice WaterhouseQFCQualtricsSellen ConstructionTovoloubS Financial ServicesWells FargoWerTacomaWhole Foods market

communityboys & girls Clubs of  Bellevueboys & girls Clubs of    King Countyboys & girls Clubs of     South Puget SoundCommon Threads FarmFood LifelineFood Policy ActionFood TankFrontier Co-Opmercy HousingNorthwest Harvest  Odessa brown ClinicOxbow Farm and    Conservation CenterSeattle Fire DepartmentSnohomish County    Coalition  university District  Food Bankupower  Woodland Park Zoo

institutional and governmentCity of Lakewood, Wa  Joint base Lewis-mcChordKing County  Pierce County  Port of Seattle Tacoma-Pierce County    Health Department  

DONOrS

Anonymous Family Foundationashleigh moeatlantic mediaauburn vWBamford Foundationbill Hestonbrandy NordstromCarla FowlerCb’s Nuts CHi FranciscanChrista Cliver City of Lakewood, Wa  Clete Casper Costco Dillon Family Foundation

Dimmer Family Foundation Fidelity Charitable gary Young  Family Foundation grand Central bakery grant Jonesgrousemont FoundationHartman researchHeffernan FoundationJeff & Julie Schoenfeld Joan Hogan Justin Tobin Kurt beecher DammeierLisa brummelmikal ThomsenmultiCare 

Norcliffe FoundationPaulus Foundation PCC Community markets Point ruston, LLC Prairie Foundationraikes Foundation Shanna CaseSteve guggenheimerSugar mountain Swedish medical CenterTacoma rainiers Tim CrosbyTorrance Foundation ubS Financial Services Whole Foods market

aDviSOrY bOarD

Kurt beecher Dammeier (Chair) Sugar Mountain

garnet anderson, Ph.D Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

andrew Cole Swedish Medical Center

Jacques Colon City of Tacoma

Ben Danielson Seattle Children’s Hospital

Felecia Job Microsoft (retired)

Leesa manion King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office

Suzy monford QFC

brandy Nordstrom President, SMooCH Guild

Laura Paulus The Paulus Foundation

Tricia raikes Raikes Foundation

Jeff Schoenfeld J-Max Real Estate

Paul Shoemaker Paul Shoemaker, Inc.

email info@beechersfoundation.org web beechersfoundation.org

WeST COaSTThe Beecher’s Foundation1725 Westlake avenue North, Suite 150Seattle, Wa 98109

eaST COaSTThe Beecher’s Foundation

41 madison avenue, Floor 31, Suite 3134New York, NY 10010