BLOG

I am Kyleigh Humes, Kitsap Harvest’s Summer Associate VISTA. I came into this role to build a foundation for my understanding of food systems. When I was going to school at Olympic College in Bremerton and living on Bainbridge Island the quality and accommodations at the local grocers were complete parallels. After moving on from my Engineering education path I decided the grocery store was my next step to decide on my educational journey. Working at the local grocery store on BI during the pandemic I learned that I am essential. Once the pandemic hit people flooded into the stores to panic buy their essentials. Since I was in the ECommerce department I experienced some pretty bizarre purchasing habits. With the public stockpiling we encountered massive shortages and distribution difficulties. 

I came to the conclusion that I wanted to help bring equity in our food systems. When Bainbridge Island consists of primarily white affluent individuals and Bremerton has the most diversity in Kitsap I came upon a term known as Food Justice. Why can’t everyone be able to access great food with affordability and access associated with it? I want to learn about opportunities for fresh food and how these systems interact through this experience.