Charity ‘restaurant’ loads plates for picnic

At the free “restaurant” in the basement of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, the staff doesn’t accept tips, but the meals come with a smile.

On Thursday afternoon, the Women’s and Children’s Free Restaurant buzzed with activity and hundreds of people sat down for its annual picnic.

“A lot of them like to strike up a conversation,” said JoAnn Campbell, a 55-year-old food service worker.

What began as a modest effort in 1988, with less than two dozen families, has grown into a well-oiled food program that now provides more than 2,000 meals a month to Spokane’s low-income households. Thursday’s annual picnic is the only time, other than Thanksgiving and Christmas, when men are allowed to attend.

In the past two years, the number of meals served has tripled, as the “restaurant” – folding tables in the basement of St. Paul’s – has expanded to three days a week.

“We’re averaging 41 new families a month,” said Marlene Alford, executive director/chef for the Women’s and Children’s Free Restaurant. “It’s a little scary. We just haven’t seen it plateau.”

The restaurant relies on donations from the Spokane Restaurant Association and Second Harvest Food Bank of the Inland Northwest, among others, as well as private gifts.

On Wednesday, volunteers finished labeling the last of 209 plastic containers of cheesy tuna casserole, and then stacked them neatly in a large refrigerator. The shelves were already lined with bags of chicken chalupas, spaghetti and meatloaf with potato wedges for diners to take home with them.

In addition to homemade meals, the restaurant provides fresh fruits and vegetables, including green peppers, wax beans and romaine lettuce, as well as milk, juice and yogurt, among other items.

The restaurant has a handful of part-time employees but relies heavily on volunteers. On Wednesday, several volunteers started their day at 10 a.m.

“I wanted to volunteer, and I was looking for something hands-on,” said Jenell Farrer, who commutes from Loon Lake to the church.

Lucy Jydstrup and her sister-in-law Gail Wham said their “years of cooking” made them natural volunteers at the restaurant. Still, there is little to prepare one for hand-rolling 332 chalupas.

“We’re looking for more young people to volunteer,” said Jydstrup, who had a light dusting of food across her apron, which read “so many chocolates, so little time.”

Joyce Wright, a retired social worker who has volunteered at the restaurant since 1992, welcomed diners to the picnic on Thursday, providing a warm handshake or a gentle hug.

“I’m the greeter,” said Wright, who also prepared 50 floral arrangements for the picnic. “Sometimes, people just need another human to touch.”

Carol Walter, a 66-year-old retired janitor, said the conversation was almost as good as the food.

“It’s a fun social place,” Walter said. “And this sure helps the budget, I’ll tell you that.”

Alford said, across the table and over food, friendships have formed.

“It’s not just about the food,” she said.