Season Of Need Strong Demand For Donated Food And Goods Has Valley Center Preparing For A Busy Holiday Season

On Tuesday, Barbara Bennett walked into the Valley Food Bank’s freezer. The walls of the room-sized cooler were stacked, floor to ceiling, with turkeys and other holiday fixings.

“Would you believe by tomorrow all this will go?” said Bennett, food bank manager.

On Wednesday, 470 people lined up outside the Spokane Valley center for the Thanksgiving food distribution - 165 more than last year. To control the heavy flow of cars around the building, orange cones were placed in the street and staff members directed traffic.

Now, the Valley Center is gearing up for what will probably be its busiest Christmas ever. The food bank and other charities housed at the center are having to meet the needs of more and more people, while donation dollars are down. Bennett said it all stems from the same reason: Many working folks are now in a bind, and instead of giving aid they need it themselves.

“They’re employed, they just don’t make enough money,” Bennett said. She said she’s seeing more people now who work part-time because their hours were cut. Many of them, even those with families, make only minimum wage.

When the holidays come around, those people often don’t know where to turn. Bennett said they’re new to being in need, and aren’t part of the welfare cycle.

“If you’ve been working, you don’t know about the things that are available,” she said.

Bennett tells of a woman who makes just enough to pay her monthly rent, but refuses to take government assistance. “She says, ‘Nope, I’m going to make it on my own.”’ It’s these people who make up much of the new demand.

Barbara Olson, the center’s executive director, wants to get that message out. She said this year, area charities are also making sure no one abuses the system. Clients aren’t allowed to get the same aid from more than one source.

“Charities are now sharing client lists because donations are down, and if we’re going to ask for more we need our clients to be good stewards,” Olson said.

The center just doesn’t give people the fish, like the old maxim goes, but also offers them poles. One woman, who didn’t want her name used, said she was unemployed and making only $440 per month. Three years ago, she signed up for the center’s Christmas Sharing Program to get a gift for her daughter. She decided to pay the center back by volunteering in the office, which taught her skills she now uses in her full-time job.

“I just know, for a lot of people, they wouldn’t have a Christmas if it wasn’t for the Valley Center,” she said.

There are several donation campaigns underway now, including the Christmas Sharing Program. Olson expects more than 400 families to sign up for gifts. Toys are always appreciated, she said, but gift items for teenagers - such as sporting goods or portable tape players with headphones - are also in big demand.

Also, the Valley Food Bank’s “Food Drive 2000” lasts until Dec. 21. Olson said the group hopes to receive 1,000 cubic feet of food in 1,000 hours.

Spokane Valley Meals on Wheels recently kicked off its first-annual campaign to raise $30,000 for its senior-citizen meal programs. Ruth Fearn, the group’s executive director, said she fears government funding for such programs will shrink, putting many people in nursing homes. Requests for the Meals on Wheels service increase 25 percent during the holiday season, she said.

Convincing someone that the Valley Center services are in demand isn’t a tough sell. The small building is packed with clients and volunteers alike. They crowd the building’s narrow corridors, the former waiting for assistance, the latter hauling food and clothes. Work crews are also finishing up some remodeling, paid for by a grant from Safeco Insurance. Some of the various storage and office spaces were just too small.

“If you can’t operate in chaos, you can’t work here,” Olson said only half-jokingly. So many people visit the center each day, it’s hard to help them all out. But the charities will continue to do as much as they can with their ever-stretched resources.

“We don’t want to let anyone walk out of here empty handed,” Olson said.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 3 Photos (1 Color)

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: TO GET HELP OR GIVE IT The Spokane Valley Center, 11922 E. First Ave., is home to a clothing bank, the Valley Food Bank, Spokane Valley Meals on Wheels, the Volunteer Chore Service, and Spokane County Public Health district services.

To donate Money, non-perishable foods, clothing and toys can be brought to the center anytime Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Toys for the Christmas Sharing Program can also be dropped off at any of the seven Valley Fire District stations, and non-perishable food items for the Food Drive 2000 can also be brought to any Rosauers supermarket in the Valley, ABC Mini-Storage, 11506 E. Indiana, or WoodPecker Graphix & Printing, 11704 E. Montgomery Drive.

To get holiday help Sign-ups for the Christmas Sharing Program will continue at the center through Dec. 13. People must bring proof of total family income and current address, and children’s names and ages. Distribution of food and gifts happens Dec. 21 at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3606 S. Schafer Road. Times will be given to each client individually. For other types of assistance, call the center at 927-1153.