Food bank helps hundreds

MEDICAL LAKE – When someone walks into the food bank in Medical Lake, Duane Wolfe doesn’t make assumptions.

Wolfe, president of the Medical Lake Food Bank Association, cannot know if the person is on a fixed income, unable to work or maybe their salary just didn’t cut it this week.

“The first time somebody comes in,” he said, “we don’t ask any questions.”

About 125 families in the Medical Lake area turn to the food bank each month, Wolfe said. After the first visit, each distribution is logged and the food bank issues as much as 25 pounds of food to each family member.

The bank has distributed throughout the community for about 20 years. Wolfe said he has worked with the association for more than half that time.

“I don’t even remember when I started,” he said.

The bank hands out food to local residents in need every Friday, Wolfe said. Recipients can visit once a month to receive a variety of food items.

Second Harvest in Spokane donates much of the food, he said. The food bank also receives donations from local businesses, schools and community organizations.

“The majority of the food we get is from the food drives,” Wolfe said.

The food bank, like many of the more than 20 food banks in Spokane County, uses monetary donations to purchase items it does not have in stock. It also operates and receives income from a thrift store.

Wolfe said many families used to visit the food bank regularly while a relative was staying at Eastern State Hospital or other state facilities in the area.

“We have some state institutions,” he said. “They drive our numbers.”

Those families have dwindled during the past couple years, Wolfe said, but new cost-of-living expenses are again creating an increase in visitors.

He said higher housing and gas costs have contributed to a 10 to 15 percent increase in visitors during the past year.

Andrew Austin, the food bank coordinator for the Airway Heights Baptist Church, said his bank has also seen an increase in visitors since opening in July 2006.

The Airway Heights food bank also serves about 125 families totaling about 1,000 people “all the way from infants to seniors,” he said. Though the 10 new members each month has turned into more than 40 during the past six months.

Visitors are welcome to attend distribution at the church on the first and third Saturdays of the month, Austin said. They can visit twice a month and should receive 40 to 130 pounds per month depending on family size.

“We give them so much,” he said. “They’re carrying away two boxes. They can’t carry it all.”

Volunteers often help visitors carry out the food during distribution between 10 a.m. and noon. Some recipients arrive early to help set up the distribution tables.

Austin said the Airway Heights bank also relies heavily on donations. The bank typically needs proteins, grains and canned meat. Monetary donations to the church can be earmarked for the food bank as well.

A group of city residents also help knit about 100 hats and blankets a year, he said. Many people from the city, area churches and schools have helped out.

Both Austin and Wolfe said interested volunteers should contact the food banks directly.

“We felt that it was a very good way to reach out to our community,” Austin said. “It’s really rewarding to be able to sit there and hand out food.”