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Lee Witham pulled his truck right to the doorstep of a new building on Broadway last week.
For the past two years, Witham has volunteered his time once a week to help the food bank at Spokane Valley Partners, collecting bread, rolls and other baked goods from local grocery stores. The process once involved navigating through the agency’s parking lot and tediously unloading the items through a narrow doorway and down the stairs into the food bank’s basement storage area.
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| After a groundbreaking this spring, a 4,800-square-foot food warehouse opened earlier this month on the grounds of Spokane Valley Partners. The new building, which includes a walk-in refrigerator and a convenient loading dock, will serve as the central storage area for the current food bank. Photo by: Craig Howard |
These days, things are a little simpler.
A new 4,800-square-foot food storage warehouse opened earlier this month as an attachment to the existing food bank. Now, Witham and other delivery drivers enjoy the convenience of a modern loading dock and rolling shelves that make drop-offs a piece of cake.
“It’s so much nicer,” said Witham. “We have our own designated area.”
Food bank Director Barbara Bennett said the revised interior has meant at least a 50-percent savings in the time and effort spent by volunteers. An existing walk-in freezer has been relocated to the warehouse along with a new walk-in cooler.
“Before, all the food went to the basement,” Bennett said. “We didn’t have any room for storage upstairs. The logistics now are so much better.”
This Friday, the food bank will host a ribbon cutting at 9:30 a.m., followed by a open house. SVP Director Ken Briggs said the generosity of local residents combined with donations from area companies helped make the new building a reality. The list of benefactors includes the Spokane Valley Rotary, local Kiwanis clubs, Safeco, Boeing, Fred Meyer and U.S. Bank.
“This building is really a community treasure,” Briggs said.
Briggs emphasized that the agency has not yet reached the end of funding road for the project, however. The Murdock Foundation has come forward with $100,000 challenge grant, but it hinges on SVP’s ability to raise a $90,000 match by November 2010. On Tuesday, Briggs made an appeal to the Spokane Valley City Council for $35,000 from the city’s
“We’re hoping the community will rally to raise the rest of the money,” Briggs said. “This is a project that spins off into every aspect of what we do here. It’s going to be our client’s warehouse.”
The project also encompassed a renovation of the main food bank including a streamlined distribution and check-in area. The site at 10814 E. Broadway marks the third home for the nonprofit agency which opened in 1973 as a program sponsored by the Spokane Valley Methodist Church. In 1991, the organization moved from the church to an office on Sprague and First Avenue where it remained until 2000 when the Spokane Valley Community Center shifted its headquarters to Broadway.
Briggs said SVP continues to emphasize the mission of “a hand up, not a hand-out” at the food bank and through other programs. The goal of self-sufficiency is taught in a variety of classes that cover topics like healthy cooking, effective budgeting and energy smart practices.
As SVP works to provide a bridge of assistance for families and individuals during tough economic times, Briggs said the organization is dedicated to treating clients with consideration.
“Just because someone happens to be low-income, doesn’t mean you treat them like a second-class citizen,” he said. “We make it a point to respect people here.”
The food bank served nearly 34,000 people in 2008 and distributed over 1.1 pounds of food, an increase of 12 percent over the previous year. Bennett said the food warehouse will mean five times the storage room for fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products and other perishables.
“This is definitely going to improve the quality and quantity of the food we have,” Bennett said. “It’s going to make quite a difference here.”
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By
Craig Howard
