The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
55°F
Current Conditions
Overcast clouds
View complete weather report
Subscribe now

Aid recipients give back

Kenny Stoner, left, prepares to receive a flying turkey from Frank Cottongin at the Spokane Salvation Army on Tuesday. An estimated 6,000 turkey and food packages from Second Harvest Inland Northwest were distributed. The daylong event is the largest holiday distribution in the area with more than 200 volunteers. Stoner and Cottongin were part of a group of air traffic controllers from Fairchild Air Force Base that volunteered for the day. (Christopher Anderson / The Spokesman-Review)
By Benjamin Shors benjamins@spokesman.com
Kenny Stoner, left, prepares to receive a flying turkey from Frank Cottongin at the Spokane Salvation Army on Tuesday. An estimated 6,000 turkey and food packages from Second Harvest Inland Northwest were distributed. The daylong event is the largest holiday distribution in the area with more than 200 volunteers. Stoner and Cottongin were part of a group of air traffic controllers from Fairchild Air Force Base that volunteered for the day. (Christopher Anderson / The Spokesman-Review)

They know what it’s like to be on the other side – the hunger, the frustration, the anguish of having to explain to a child that there’s just not enough money for the holidays.

“I’ve been through the turkey line before,” said Sonja Vernier, one of the volunteers who helped give away Thanksgiving dinners Tuesday at the Salvation Army Community Center. “Now I want to help out the people who have helped me.”

Three years ago, Vernier stood outside in the cold, waiting patiently for her turn so that she could feed her three sons on Thanksgiving. Now a resident at St. Margaret’s Shelter, an emergency and transitional home for women and their children, Vernier was grateful Tuesday for the chance to serve others.

“I have a great support system,” said Vernier, 33. “I have a lot more parenting skills under my belt. … I feel like I can give now instead of just take.”

Vernier and four other St. Margaret residents were part of a 200-person volunteer force that worked all day Tuesday to deliver turkeys to an estimated 6,000 families.

“Anyone who comes through the door with the proper identification will get a turkey,” said Christy Markham, spokeswoman for the Salvation Army. “We aren’t turning people away.”

At times, the waiting line stretched down a hallway at the Salvation Army Community Center in northeast Spokane and under a covered walkway. But the volunteers swiftly shuttled people through the check-in and into a gymnasium where there were sacks of potatoes, macaroni, yams, green beans and cornbread mix – donated by Second Harvest Inland Northwest.

“This is by far the busiest day of our year, but it is also my favorite day,” said Carol Flummer, director of social services for the Salvation Army. “Jesus healed, fed and clothed people who had a need, and what an awesome gift that he has us do that same thing.”

Since 2003, the turkey program at the Salvation Army Community Center has grown steadily from 3,100 families. Second Harvest provided the 6,000 turkeys; any leftover food will be distributed to the nonprofit network of 21 food banks. Patrons of Rosauers stores also contributed.

The volunteers worked so efficiently that the entire process often took less than 10 minutes. Tromping into the wind and the rain, they helped carry groceries to the cars as the line moved through the center.

Taunya Dittman, who has three teenage boys and a husband, said the groceries provide a good meal during difficult financial times. “It can be really depressing not to be able to have a holiday for your children,” she said. “This lifts my spirits.”

Jill Murray, one of the St. Margaret volunteers, recalled the times she had been on the receiving end of the turkey distribution. The free dinners were a lifesaver – one more meal that she didn’t have to worry about. When she found herself on the other side of the table giving food away instead of taking, the 31-year-old mother was overwhelmed with both humility and compassion. “So much has been given to us,” she said.

The women from St. Margaret’s decided to volunteer their time at the Salvation Army after taking part in the Women’s Justice Circle, an eight-week program that focused on social justice and issues that affected them as women overcoming poverty, drug addictions and other challenges.

Life in a homeless shelter can sometimes lead to feelings of victimization, explained Katie Kaiser, a resident supervisor at St. Margaret’s and a Jesuit Volunteer Corps volunteer. But service work has given the women a sense of empowerment, she said. “Even though they’re in a rough spot right now, they can still give back and have a positive impact on the community,” said Kaiser.

Operated by Catholic Charities Spokane, St. Margaret’s is currently the home of 18 families. Some of the residents include young moms with babies, women fleeing domestic violence and mothers recovering from drug and alcohol abuse.

“I’ve made lots of mistakes,” said Vernier, who suffered from a drug addiction until 10 months ago. “St. Margaret’s and the Salvation Army have given me a foundation to build my life on. I’m more than happy to give back.”