Free hands-on outdoor education

Growing Skills,
Feeding Futures.

PNW Provides helps underserved youth and low-income single parents learn how to use the Pacific Northwest’s natural resources to build practical skills, confidence, and greater self-reliance.

Explore Our Programs →Support the Mission
Washington State 501(c)(3) Free to participants Volunteer-led
Outdoor instructor helping youth learn to fish from a boat on a Pacific Northwest lake
18youth reached at our first Kids Fishing Day
Kids Fishing Day • Lake Samish
Our mission

Skills that last a lifetime.

We believe access to the outdoors can do more than create a great day. It can build confidence, self-reliance, healthy hobbies, family connections, and practical ways to help put food on the table. Through free, hands-on programs in fishing, crabbing, hunting education, foraging, gardening, and food preparation, PNW Provides gives youth and families knowledge they can continue using long after an event ends.
What we teach

Outdoor skills with a purpose.

Programs combine hands-on experience, safety, conservation, regulations, food preparation, and practical information families can use again on their own.

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Fishing & Crabbing

Casting, tackle, species identification, regulations, cleaning, cooking, and responsible harvest.

Hands-on outdoor learning
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Hunting Education

Hunter education, safety, ethics, conservation, regulations, responsible harvest, and foundational skills.

Safety + stewardship
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Foraging & Harvest

Shellfish, mushrooms, edible resources, safe identification, seasons, and sustainable gathering.

Know what to harvest
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Gardening & Growing

Practical gardening skills that help families understand how to grow food at home and build confidence over time.

Grow food at home
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Preparation & Preservation

Cleaning, cooking, canning, vacuum sealing, food safety, recipes, and ways to make a harvest go farther.

Make the harvest last
How our programs work

Try it. Learn it. Take it home.

You have to experience a skill before it becomes familiar. We start with hands-on participation, build the knowledge behind it, and help families leave ready to keep going.

Youth actively fishing from a boat while an instructor helps land a fish1

Try it.

Participants get real hands-on experience instead of only hearing about an outdoor skill.

Outdoor instructor demonstrating how to clean a fish for youth participants2

Learn it.

We teach the safety, regulations, techniques, conservation, cleaning, and preparation that make the skill useful.

Young participant proudly holding a fish she caught3

Take it home.

Participants leave with knowledge, confidence, resources, and whenever possible, supplies that help them do it again.

Built for access

Remove the barriers. Keep the knowledge.

Equipment, permits, instruction, and unfamiliar regulations can make outdoor recreation feel out of reach. PNW Provides is building free programs designed to make those first experiences easier, safer, and more welcoming.

18Youth at our first event
7Communities represented
$0Participant program fees
100+Youth we aim to serve next year
Young participant holding a freshly caught fish
Young participant holding a fish on a lake
Fish cleaning and preparation demonstration
Our first program

One day can open a door.

At our first Kids Fishing Day, youth learned directly from an experienced guide, spent time fishing on the water, handled their catch, and saw what it takes to turn a day outdoors into a skill they can use again.

That is the model we are building on: create a positive first experience, teach practical skills, and give families enough knowledge and confidence to continue on their own.

“The goal isn't just to take kids outdoors for a day. It's to help them feel like the outdoors belongs to them, too.”
Youth enjoying a boat ride during PNW Provides Kids Fishing Day
Learning should also feel like a great day outside.Positive experiences help turn new skills into hobbies, traditions, and memories youth want to carry forward.
Coming up

Next outdoor learning opportunity.

Programs are seasonal and designed around what the Pacific Northwest has to offer throughout the year.

UPCOMING PROGRAM
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Fall 2026

Community Crabbing Day

Participants will learn how to safely catch, measure, clean, and cook Dungeness crab while learning Washington regulations, conservation, and responsible harvest practices.

Cornet Bay areaHands-on instructionFree program
Get involved

There are a lot of ways to help.

PNW Provides is volunteer-led. Community knowledge, donated equipment, business partnerships, and financial support all help us create more free outdoor learning opportunities.

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Volunteer or Teach

Share experience in fishing, hunting, foraging, gardening, food preparation, outdoor safety, photography, or event support.

Volunteer with us →
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Partner or Sponsor

Businesses and community organizations can sponsor a program, provide expertise, donate products, or help us reach more families.

Partner with us →
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Donate Equipment

Fishing equipment, safety gear, coolers, canning supplies, gardening tools, and other reusable program equipment help remove barriers for participants.

Offer equipment →
Contact

Connect with PNW Provides.

Want to attend an event, volunteer, teach a skill, donate equipment, sponsor a program, or help us grow? We’d love to hear from you.

Launch step: we’ll connect your existing contact form and donation link here before the new site replaces Google Sites.
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Serving Washington StateInitial focus in Northwest Washington
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Free hands-on programsOutdoor skills, food harvest, and practical learning
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Volunteer-led nonprofitGrowing through community support and partnerships
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