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Community Action Center

Overview

The Community Action Center (CAC) is a non-profit organization located in Pullman, Washington and holds the belief that all Whitman County residents in need of assistance should be able to access state benefits, reliable housing and nutritious food. The CAC does this by providing our community with a dynamic staff that is well versed in state social services like Section 8 housing, Apple Health, LIHEAP energy assistance, WorkSource development, SNAP, and much more. The CAC was founded in 1988 and has been a primary resource for over 11,000 people living in poverty in Whitman County.

At the Community Action Center, food and nutrition is supported by the Community Food department which oversees SNAP benefit applications, SNAP-Education, a commercial kitchen space, a food bank, as well as gardening and cooking programs. The Community Food department promotes self-reliance of individuals and households through education and cooperation among rural communities in Whitman County. Harvest Against Hunger provided the CAC’s Palouse Tables Project, which assessed rural food insecurity, with an AmeriCorps VISTA who served a year specifically to this project. Findings from the Palouse Tables Project identified the community’s need for free education opportunities about cooking and growing food as a primary concern. From there the second year VISTA and the director of the Community Food department started the Community Educator program in January of 2019, in order to address this concern. 

Background 

CAC Community Food had partnered with several other organizations to apply to a USDA Community Food Project grant in 2017. The successful application of this grant made it possible to do a yearlong community food security assessment planning project called the Palouse Tables Project. The Women’s Guild of the Pullman Regional Hospital donated funds to the Community Food department which supported the Community Educator program. The Community Food department participates in the Whitman County Food Coalition who reaches out to different food banks across the county to visit their facilities, help them troubleshoot new mechanisms and apply for grants. This working relationship with rural communities was a crucial component to the successful outcomes of the Palouse Tables Project and nurtures greater awareness of the causes of poverty and helps establish effective solutions.