Providing for those in need

As Ginger Smith was working her way out of poverty, she needed a few essentials, things like food, drinking water and gasoline. Our Place Community Ministries helped her stay on track.

“I went from the bottom. It took a long time. I’ve struggled,” said Smith.

In 1987, a group of pastors felt overwhelmed by the number of people requesting food and money for essentials. They pooled their resources and established a center to help meet those basic needs.

The result was Our Place Community Ministries at 1509 W. College Ave. Down the street from the Public Health Building, in the heart of one of the poorest areas in Spokane, Our Place has embraced the West Central neighborhood.

“They helped me with food and gas for my car,” Smith said. She now works as a home health-care provider, and has recently lost 402 pounds. When her water was shut off, co-director Peg Sammons brought water to her home.

“They treated me like a human being instead of just a number.”

Sammons, who runs Our Place with Sister Ann Pizelo, said Smith is an inspiration. “It’s wonderful to hear about those who’ve made it.”

By 10 on a recent autumn morning, the small waiting room bustled with a dozen clients waiting to be served.

“The story of Our Place is two equal parts, what we give and what we receive,” said Jenifer Priest, director of communications. “We get a small amount of government assistance, and seven churches help support us, but the majority of our donations come from individuals.”

With an operating budget of only $124,000 and a small part-time staff, Our Place is able to provide a food bank, a clothing bank, personal hygiene items, bus tokens and other essentials. They served an average of 89 clients a day in August alone. “A lot gets done with very little,” Priest said.

Debbie Doxbury, 46, calls Our Place her second home. Many years ago she needed diapers for her child, and a friend told her about Our Place.

“I felt comfortable and welcomed here,” she said. Now, Doxbury volunteers several hours a week in the clothing room.

In addition to food and clothing Our Place offers a cooking class for clients. “This class is about doing with what you have,” said volunteer Marge Lauersen.

A recent class centered on a food bank staple. “We’re taking a can of soup and building on it to make a meal,” Lauersen said. The clients are then sent home with ingredients and recipes, and are encouraged to re-create the meal at home.

More than 60 volunteers staff Our Place, and an average of 15 a day are on hand to help stock the shelves, serve the clients and manage the office. Their day begins with a prayer circle. “I love the prayers,” said Doxbury. “It’s almost like going to church.”

Sammons and Sister Ann have big dreams for the future. Their next project is the construction of a laundry facility. Most of their clients don’t have a car, and the closest laundry is at Shadle Center.

Thanks to a donation from the Roy and Leona Nelson Foundation, as well as other gifts, Our Place is $3,310 closer to their goal.

Sister Ann would love to have the sidewalks in the front of the building repaired. A third of their clients are disabled, and the broken, crumbling sidewalk can be difficult to navigate.

They don’t hesitate to dream big at Our Place. “We’re very frugal, and good stewards of what we’ve been given,” Sammons said.

By 11 a.m., the waiting crowd had thinned a bit. Shelley Miller, a 39-year-old client, sat filling out her intake form. “I’m treated very nice here,” she said. “I’ve been treated like scum at other places. The people here are wonderful.”

Perhaps it’s because they love what they do. “I see people coming through the doors and think there but for the grace of God…” said Sammons.

“I love this neighborhood. I feel grateful and humbled at the end of the day.”