Brandy Badger was honored with the Martin Luther King Medal of Distinguished Service, by King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert on Tuesday. The award recognizes individuals whose work has answered the question asked by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “What are you doing for others?”
Badger is chair and executive director for International Nutritional Sustainable Partners (INSP), a group founded in May 2020 to help provide fresh, nutritional food and resources to people experiencing food insecurity, especially those impacted most by the pandemic or job loss.
The Kenmore Community Club worked with Badger during the pandemic hosting one food drive last March and provided volunteers for another that distributed food to more than 600 people in families with children, seniors, or people with disabilities.
“Through her service, Brandy Badger exemplifies what it means to be a true leader in the community. She saw a rise in food insecurity due to COVID and she immediately sprang into action to solve the problem using her knowledge of farming and her connections in the food industry,” Lambert said. “The need is so great that she continues to serve more and more people and there is always a line. Her tireless work helped feed hundreds of thousands of families in Washington during a very difficult time. It is my honor to present her with the Medal of Distinguished Service.”
Badger, who owns Badger Whole Farms in Redmond, started feeding people six days after COVID-19 restrictions effectively closed down the state. After growing beyond the bounds of the farm or even local churches, parks and other nonprofit spaces, Badger and her team started working with the USDA to move food across Washington state. INSP is serving roughly 5,000 people per week now.
This marks the sixth year that councilmembers have each selected someone from their district whose work embodies the spirit of King’s question.