Snow closes Second Harvest center

The region’s largest food distribution center closed Monday while crews removed snow from the roof of its Spokane warehouse.

A Second Harvest Inland Northwest spokesman said he did not foresee major disruption in food distribution Monday and today.

The warehouse at 1234 E. Front Ave. was expected to open as early as Wednesday, said Rod Wieber, Second Harvest’s director of donor and community relations.

In the meantime, the center would continue collecting food from major donors and distributing food to large food banks.

Wieber said that no structural problems had been detected at Second Harvest and that the building was closed as a precaution.

Second Harvest provides food for more than 48,000 people each week at 13 emergency food pantries in Spokane and more than 300 area food banks and meal centers.

Meanwhile, clients of the Cheney Food and Clothing Bank were being directed to other food banks because of structural failure of the Wren Pierson Building, 615 Fourth St.

The building, which also houses the Cheney Historical Museum, Cheney Outreach, and Cheney Parks and Recreation, was closed Saturday after an engineer declared it unsound.

Food was pulled out of the facility under the supervision of the Cheney Fire Department.

Clients were referred to the Medical Lake Food Bank and the Salvation Army in Spokane.

The Medical Lake Food Bank, 211 N. Lefevre St., which is open from 10 a.m. to noon Fridays, can be contacted at (509) 299-3819.

The Salvation Army, 204 E. Indiana Ave., accepts appointments from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; call (509) 325-6821.

Walk-ins are accepted from 1 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays.