In brief: Food program has banner year

A nonprofit organization that provides fresh produce to the needy through donations by Coeur d’Alene-area gardeners has celebrated its best year ever, following a partnership with Shared Harvest Community Garden.

Community Roots, a program of the Kootenai Environmental Alliance, distributed more than 9,000 pounds of produce to needy people through 15 nonprofit organizations, including soup kitchens and food banks. That’s triple the amount delivered when the program began in 2007, said Korrine Kreilkamp, the organization’s founder.

The garden, at 10th Street and Foster Avenue in Coeur d’Alene, serves as a collection point for local gardeners to drop off surplus produce. In addition, gardeners who rent its 52 plots for $25 per season are encouraged to donate half of what they grow to the needy.

Reusable sacks to be distributed

The city of Post Falls will begin distributing 2,000 reusable grocery bags Monday at City Hall, the Police Department and the Public Library.

The bags and new recycling bins were purchased with $5,000 donated by Phil Damiano of Post Falls Sanitation, city Finance Director Shelly Enderud said.

She said the distribution, which will kick off America Recycles Day, is intended to encourage recycling as a way of reducing waste that goes into landfills.

“This was an opportunity to give something to our citizens to help them meet these recycling goals,” she said.