Street Music Festival raises nearly 30K for food banks

Local volunteers raised nearly $30,000 during the annual Street Music Week in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene for food donations in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

Organizers invited musicians and entertainers to perform on downtown Spokane and Coeur d’Alene sidewalks and in the Garland District last week. Money that passersby tossed into red buckets near the entertainers goes to Second Harvest, a nonprofit that provides food to 250 food banks and meal sites throughout the Inland Northwest.

The festival was founded by now-retired Spokesman-Review columnist Doug Clark 16 years ago. Since its inception, organizers have raised $209,322 for food banks, according to a news release. This year, organizers raised $29,322 through in-person contributions and online donations.

Street Music Week has grown to include a location in Appleton, Wisconsin, according to the release. The Appleton street festival, started six years ago after Spokane musicians reached out to their connections in the Midwest, collected $10,000 for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin.