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18 NORTHWEST HARVEST COMMUNITY REPORT
CHERRY STREET FOOD BANK:
AN INSPIRATION FOR GOOD ACROSS THE GLOBE
A story of how just one positive experience can change
lives and better communities far beyond our imagination.
When Eric Darko arrived from Ghana to participate in
the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), a
program of World Learning, a global nonprofit based in
Washington, D.C. in 2015, he had no idea that his visit to
Seattle would be life changing—not only for himself but
also for the people in his community back home.
The 33-year-old biochemist, who works in agriculture and food
safety for Ghana’s Food and Drug Authority, recalls being moved
and inspired by the experience of volunteering at Northwest
Harvest’s Cherry Street Food Bank.
“I had never seen a food bank before.
Just the thought of hungry people
coming in and picking up food really
hit me,” recalls Darko. “I’m the kind of
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person who likes giving. I remember leaving there thinking that
someday I would open a food bank back home in Ghana.”
Ghana is a country of over 28 million people. Despite
its relatively small size and population, it boasts one of
the fastest-growing economies in Africa due to natural
resources such as gold, diamonds and oil. It also has a
strong agricultural sector, and the government is pushing
more growth in vegetable production for export.
Still, food scarcity remains a big problem around the country,
and just like here in Washington, the senior population
is among the most vulnerable, explains Darko. “There
Cherry Street Food Bank