Partner Spotlight: Blue Sky Minds
Food, Community, and the Power of Coming Together
The Vital Conditions Framework recognizes access to nutritious food as a basic need for health and safety. Yet for many people living in North Central Washington, consistent access to nutritious food that is both culturally relevant and locally grown remains out of reach.
Rural communities often face increased challenges in accessing nutritious food, from limited grocery options and transportation barriers to long travel distances and higher poverty rates.
Local nonprofit Blue Sky Minds is rising to the challenge by bringing people together to strengthen local food systems through collaboration, shared learning, and community-driven solutions.
Introducing the NCW Food Council
Founded in 2022, Blue Sky Minds began its work in Okanogan County and the Colville Reservation by facilitating a local Food Council. What started with 22 participants quickly grew to 180 participants in just three years. As this network expanded, partners from across the region expressed a need for similar collaborative spaces in Chelan, Douglas, and Grant counties. With support from Thriving Together NCW, Blue Sky Minds recently launched the NCW Food Council to meet that need.
The NCW Food Council unites partners across healthcare, agriculture, education, local government, social services, and beyond. By bringing everyone into the conversation, it creates space to move beyond short-term fixes and toward collaborative solutions that address root causes contributing to food insecurity. Over time, this type of system-level change will help our communities avoid crisis before it begins.
“We’re bringing everyone together,” said Maria Hines, Founder and Director of Blue Sky Minds. “You look around the room and think there’s just nothing we can’t solve.”
This collaboration has the capacity to positively impact nearly 300,000 community members living in North Central Washington and the Colville Reservation. Leaders, advocates, and organizations who care about food access in our region are encouraged to come learn, connect, and help shape what comes next.
The next meeting takes place on February 23, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
To gain access to the February meeting link, please email Maria Hines with the following information:
First and last name
Your organization and title
What city you reside in
Community-Driven Impact
Beyond the Food Council, Blue Sky Minds supports a variety of community-led efforts that advance food access in everyday, practical ways. One example is the Okanogan gleaning program, launched in collaboration with Okanogan County Community Action Council, the Washington Gleaning Network, and a network of local farmers and volunteers. The program rescues surplus produce that would otherwise go to waste and shares it with families in need. This collaborative approach reduces food waste, builds local leadership, and brings a simple, yet powerful idea to life: neighbors feeding neighbors.
Blue Sky Minds is also working with Tribal-led organizations on the revitalization of Inchelium Red Garlic, a culturally important and local Indigenous food. This initiative aims to support food sovereignty, intergenerational learning, and Tribal-led agriculture across the Colville Reservation.
These programs are just a snapshot of the extensive work Blue Sky Minds is doing in this space. To learn more about Blue Sky Minds’ work and how you can be part of it, click the link below.
Maria Hines, a Leader Rooted in Food and Community
Founder and Director Maria Hines has spent more than 20 years working at the intersection of food, community, and care. She has always held the belief that food is never just about what’s on the plate. It’s about the people, places, and the connections that bring communities together. This belief continues to shape her work today, guiding her commitment to advocacy that centers community voices.
Maria’s work has been recognized in many ways over the years. She is a James Beard Award winner, a champion of Food Network’s Iron Chef, and a recipient of the Puget Sound Business Journal’s Women of Influence award.
Most recently, Maria was honored with Thriving Together NCW’s Weaving Impact Award in 2025. This recognition reflects the way she brings people together, uses shared learning and data to inform action, and helps turn collective ideas into work that strengthens the Vital Conditions throughout the region.
Find Your Seat at the Table
What makes Blue Sky Minds’ approach so powerful is their commitment to a forward-thinking movement, shaped by the people who know our communities best. To learn how you can be part of it, fill out the form below to share your perspective, let them know how you would like to get involved, and sign up to receive their e-newsletter.