Senator joins in giving homegrown help
POST FALLS – The Post Falls American Legion parking lot took on the feel of a farmer’s market for a few hours last Friday as Sen. Mike Crapo and Post Falls Mayor Clay Larkin joined other volunteers in handing out 10,000 pounds of fresh food to area residents in need. The Homegrown Help Truck, a 24-foot truck covered with bold graphics, made a colorful backdrop for the tables as residents passed by, pausing to pick out a head of lettuce, an artichoke or a bag of potatoes.
Crapo, who serves on the Senate Agriculture and Finance Committee that has jurisdiction over nutrition issues, and who has voiced concerns about feeding the hungry, was on hand to greet those in line and hand out bottles of strawberry milk. He shook a few hands and offered words of encouragement to those passing by, giving his thanks to those who took the opportunity to say “I voted for you.”
Larkin offered friendly smiles and banter to all as he worked to keep product on the table in front of him. Nearby volunteers kept busy unloading the produce, holding boxes for those going through the line, or giving them their choice of different lettuces.
Homegrown Help is a weekly food program that offers fresh, healthy food to those who otherwise may not be able to afford it, through a public-private partnership between the Coeur d’Alene Basin Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, which provides the volunteers, and Second Harvest Inland Northwest, Spokane, which provides the food.
According to a Thrivent spokesperson, the group donated two 24-foot refrigerated trucks to Second Harvest affiliates in Eastern Washington and Idaho when they learned providing fresh food to rural residents was one of their biggest issues. She said this program is really different because “it allows people to make their own choices of what they want, and the food is fresh, not canned.”
Since the Thrivent Homegrown Help Truck began making deliveries in July of 2006, more than 337,000 pounds of food have been distributed. Friday’s distribution was organized by the American Legion Post 143 of Post Falls.