MONDAY, JANUARY 10 Hello and welcome to the Strangercrombie edition of Last Days. For those who don't know, Strangercrombie is The Stranger's annual charity auction, in which we sell off a cornucopia of one-of-a-kind delights—including the cover and various pages in The Stranger—and donate the proceeds to select Northwest charities. (About the name: Items in the premier Strangercrombie auction were showcased in a spoof of the soft-core Abercrombie & Fitch catalog, and while the A&F parody was eventually shelved, the name stuck.) Which brings us to this week's edition of Last Days, purchased by an anonymous donor who paid $280 for the right to make us devote this week's column to Northwest Harvest, the worshipworthy hunger- response program that's been providing nutritious food to hungry people across Washington State for the past 40 years. But the joke's on you, anonymous donor, because Last Days would be willing to write glowing things about Northwest Harvest for free! (Still, thanks for supporting Strangercrombie. You may now return to your responsibly disseminated expendable income and tasteful reticence.)

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11 The week continues with Northwest Harvest, which to reiterate is the worshipworthy hunger-response program that's been providing nutritious food to hungry people across Washington State for the past 40 years. Key facts come from the Northwest Harvest website and testify to the impressive efficiency of Northwest Harvest's food-distribution network: A whopping 93 percent of the group's budget goes directly to food distribution, which last year involved over 24 million pounds of food distributed to more than 300 food banks, hot meal programs, and elementary schools. And then there's this: "Northwest Harvest and our 300+ partner food programs across the state of Washington provide nutritious food to all who come to us. We know it can be difficult to ask for help, so we try to make it a little easier. We don't ask for ID, proof of income, social security numbers, documentation, or the reason for a person's need. We treat people with kindness and respect, and we give without regard to race, creed, sex, lifestyle, residence, or other discriminatory consideration." (Less heartening: Northwest Harvest has seen a 35 percent increase in need since the economic crash.)

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12 Today, Last Days traveled to Northwest Harvest's Seattle offices, which share a space with the Cherry Street Food Bank, just one of the distribution network's many outlets and the busiest food bank in the state, serving 2,300 people a day. We were met by Northwest Harvest communications director Claire Acey, who gave us a tour of the facilities and a rundown of how it all works. As Acey informed us, easy access is key, and the Cherry Street Food Bank is open every weekday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.—except Tuesday, when the whole place is closed for cleaning/restocking. Every Thursday brings Baby Day, with infant formula, canned baby food, and occasionally even diapers available to families with kids under 5 years old. "More than half of those we serve are children and the elderly," Acey tells me, before highlighting another important contingent of Northwest Harvest clients: the homeless, or more specifically, those without kitchens, to whom Northwest Harvest supplies ready-to-eat sack lunches every Monday and Wednesday.

••In lighter news, Acey happily answered our questions about the funkiest foodstuffs ever to land in the Northwest Harvest donation box, informing us that the funkiest of the funky are installed on the warehouse's Wall of Shame, which features such treasures as a 50-year-old box of Jell-O mix and several dented cans of spotted dick (a British delicacy).

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13 The week continues with Northwest Harvest's reason for being: hunger, as suffered by the residents of Washington State, hundreds of thousands of whom have found themselves—thanks to abrupt layoffs or expensive diagnoses or bad luck—in need of Northwest Harvest's services. Today, Last Days interrogated but one of these people, a graphic designer who answered our one and only request—"Tell us about your experience with Northwest Harvest"—thusly: "I can't afford to buy all of the groceries I need, and I depend on food banks for about two-thirds of them. What I love most about the Cherry Street Food Bank is its hours. Other food banks are only open for a few hours a few times a week, but this one is open four days a week, 9:00 to 5:00. Their generous schedule, and the fact that they don't ask for ID or proof of residence when you show up, makes them extremely accessible. You get the sense that their mission is really to feed people, not to decide who gets to eat. The staff is friendly and respectful. I'll ask, 'How many squash can I take?' and they'll say, 'Take three or four or five,' with a smile and shrug. The selection is sometimes minimal—bags of beans and grains, canned goods, and bread—but other times I come home with good-quality coffee, great bagels, and beautiful organic produce I wouldn't otherwise be able to buy."

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14 Nothing happened today, unless you count another 2,300 people helped by the Cherry Street Food Bank, or the corroboration of yesterday's praise by another grateful former client—a 38-year-old warehouse worker who found himself suddenly unemployed and "in dire need of assistance." He found it by searching the City of Seattle's emergency services website, which directed him to the Cherry Street Food Bank. "I recall leaving with at least two to three bags of mixed items, plus breads that helped get me through a couple weeks at a time, with some creative recipe choices made beforehand so I could optimize the haul. After I found myself in a better living/working situation, I had an opportunity to volunteer at Cherry Street. It was so rewarding to give back to an organization that helped me when I needed it."

SATURDAY, JANUARY 15 The week continues with more firsthand testimony on the awesomeness of Northwest Harvest, as once again evidenced by the high-functioning humanity of the Cherry Street Food Bank. Background info on today's testifier: "The company I was working for moved to Texas and laid me off. I went on unemployment, but that barely covered rent. I had no money for food. I never expected to find myself in that situation." Regarding the Cherry Street Food Bank: "I remember being shocked at the variety of people there. You kind of think there'll be a type, but it ran the gamut as far as minority, age, gender, everything. Going through the line, there's some inherent shame, but [Northwest Harvest] does everything it can to diminish that feeling. Everyone's there for the same reason, no one wants to talk about it, and during the brief time I needed it, I could go there."

SUNDAY, JANUARY 16 The week ends with an explicit reiteration of the point of this whole 1,200-word gushing: Northwest Harvest is here to help. And to be able to help as many people as possible, Northwest Harvest needs your help. "Northwest Harvest receives no city, county, state, or federal funding for operating expenses and relies solely on contributions from individuals, businesses, foundations, and other organizations," proclaims the website. "Much of our work is made possible by volunteers of all ages, who gave 78,000 hours of their time last year to feed the hungry." As for donations (all of which are tax deductible), don't leave it to the philanthropists: A mere 67 cents can feed a family of three a nutritious meal, and donations of $5, $10, or $20 can make a world of difference in the lives of your fellow Washingtonians. For full info on donating and volunteering, please visit www.northwestharvest.org.

Thanks again, anonymous donor. Send Hot Tips to lastdays@thestranger.com.