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Mika Adachi is a graduate of Rutgers University, where she received her B.S. in Environmental Science and minored in Geological Sciences. She was born and raised in New Jersey, where her experiences in volunteering at a local community garden, community engagement events, and environmental organizations led her to finding a passion in volunteerism. She has also worked with federal lead-based paint regulations as an enforcement officer and inspector at U.S. EPA in Region 2, and saw the living conditions of lower income areas and the systemic issues they faced. Through these experiences, she found the graveness of standing up against social injustices and giving a voice to often marginalized groups. Mika is delighted to be in Washington State to serve as the Community Food System VISTA with Blue Mountain Action Council (BMAC)’s Food Bank.

BMAC is a non-profit organization that is located in the southeastern part of Washington State. BMAC focuses on collaborating with partners to deliver a multitude of services and support community members that are experiencing poverty. The BMAC Food Bank partners with local farmers and grocery stores and mobilizes teams of volunteers to harvest hundreds of thousands of pounds of surplus crops and foods each year, which are distributed across five counties in Washington, reaching about 21,000 families per year on average. Additional food programs include Senior Food (CSFP), Community Markets, Basic Food (EBT), Grocery rescue, Farm to Food pantry and Backpack Bridge.

As an AmeriCorps member, Mika is focusing on assisting BMAC Food Bank with community action, professional communications, volunteer outreach, and develop a sustainable system to continue to expand the organization network as a whole. A large part of her work involves maintaining a great relationship with local farmers, networking to extend contracts to new farmers, organizing gleans, inputting data, and recruiting new volunteers.

In her free time, Mika enjoys reading, cooking, listening to music, and participating in various outdoor activities.