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The notices went out a few weeks ago to each client at Spokane Valley Meals on Wheels, right along with the regular array of hot lunches.
In essence, the messages told meal recipients not to worry, that, despite all the doom and gloom in the media, the agency would continue providing food to some 265 people five days a week.
“It was just a way of reassuring everyone that we weren’t going out of business,” said Korlyn Luth, assistant director of Valley Meals on Wheels.
Last month, the Spokane Regional Health District announced that due to budgeting errors and reductions, the Senior Nutrition program would be short about $30,000 for the remainder of the year. The cuts meant that meals would be reduced from five days to two at meal sites throughout Spokane County, according to initial reports.
In the Spokane Valley office on Dishman-Mica Road, executive director Pam Almeida decided to maintain the current schedule at each of the agency’s four meal sites despite the bad news. Almeida also knew she would be facing a $35,000 shortfall as the organization began its annual fall fund-raising drive.
Almeida said the agency has felt the ripple effect of the ailing economy.
“Donations have been coming in about the same as last year, but they’re smaller,” she said.
October also brought news that Aramark, a commercial food supply company that has been providing meals to the Valley program since 2004, wanted out of its contract by the end of November.
Since then, Almeida has been working to find a new kitchen, cooking supplies and staff. A pair of Spokane Valley churches – Redeemer Lutheran and Valley United Methodist – have stepped up to provide kitchen space.
Bargreen/Ellingson, a restaurant supply company, has donated equipment.
“Everyone has been putting in a lot of hours,” Almeida said. “In the long run, I think it’s going to be better for our clients.”
The return to United Methodist brings the program full circle from where it began some 34 years ago. A youth group at the church began delivering meals to homebound seniors back in 1974.
While Almeida expressed gratitude for the support of the community, she said the agency is still looking for a permanent kitchen site. In the meantime, the organization is bidding on a contract to provide meals through the Senior
Nutrition program to sites in the Valley and the city of Spokane. Aramark and Mid-City Concerns, the downtown Meals on Wheels program, are also involved in the bidding with an announcement on the contract expected Nov. 24.
Mid-City Concerns received some good news last week with the restoration of meal sites that had been cut earlier due to the Health District shortage. A private donation of $30,000 ensured that all senior centers would return to full service.
The Valley program is dispensing with its annual fund-raising dinner for the first time this year, instead relying on a direct mail campaign to generate donations. Even before the news about Aramark, Almeida had elevated her fund-raising goal to $49,000.
Almeida said word is already circulating that Senior Nutrition funding for up to 3,000 meals will be cut for next year. The cuts would also take away one day a week at the Opportunity Presbyterian meal site.
Despite the turbulence, Almeida remains optimistic that a new kitchen will emerge and the program will continue to run on all cylinders.
“Things are getting rainier,” she said. “But we’re just going to keep working on behalf of our clients.”
Want to find out more?
To learn more about donating to Spokane Valley Meals on Wheels or volunteering, call 924-6976 or visit www.valleymow.org. The program currently oversees four meal sites in the area including the Spokane Valley Senior Center, 2426 N. Discovery Place; Edgecliff Community Center, 6903 E. Fourth, Opportunity Presbyterian Church, 202 N. Pines; and Liberty Lake City Hall, 22710 E. Country Vista.
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By
Craig Howard
