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Sydney Shaw is the Food Resourcing Data and Outreach Coordinator VISTA at FareStart in Seattle, WA. Sydney’s role had previously focused on increasing food access for underserved communities across King County and has transitioned to alleviating poverty, food insecurity, and waste through FareStart’s Contract Meals program. She does this by increasing capacity to integrate donated and recovered food into the kitchens that create meals going back into the community and feeding those who need it most. 

October of 2025 was no easy feat as an individual immersed in the nonprofit and government world- or for the approximately one million individuals in Washington state receiving SNAP benefits. This month marked a revolutionary time in Sydney’s career, as she faced a government shutdown, the end of the Mobile Community Market program at FareStart (due to funding), and the restructuring of her position within the organization. 

The highlights of this challenging chapter included collecting 1,340.5 lbs of produce throughout the gleaning season, attending Amazon’s Fall for SLU event where her team distributed fresh produce and handed out over 1,000 cups of cider, and recruiting 70 volunteers. Unfortunately, the month concluded with the end of the Mobile Community Market program in which Sydney was promoting SNAP and the distribution of fresh produce in several neighborhoods across King County that have limited access to local, nutritious food. It was difficult to close out this program in a time when hunger is only going to continue to grow. However, Sydney knew that this change would bring valuable knowledge and action to light in other ways. During her four months of assisting with the market program, 2,252 individuals and their families were served and given a list of accessible alternative food resources that Sydney curated for times of need. As if enough change wasn’t already occurring, a last-minute injury of a FareStart team member threw the last day of distribution into disarray. With an out-of-commission market truck and the inability to drive a van while injured, Sydney and her colleague, Sofia, jammed roughly 100 bags of produce into her personal vehicle and delivered them to opposite sides of Seattle.  

What did Sydney learn from this experience? She learned that community and reciprocity are the only ways to get through hardship. You overcome hardship when you heal and celebrate personal growth, which cannot be achieved without gratitude. Gratitude comes from caring for your community and building relationships. Every person that Sydney interacted with had something to give: whether it is hearing stories of gratitude from those served, being helped through a government shutdown, knowing there are countless people out there who want to give their time and effort to supporting FareStart’s mission, or starting fresh in a position that will continue to serve and feed the community. At the end of every day, Sydney knows that this work is vital and is worth it again and again.