‘They’ve been here for us’: Spokane County restaurants, caterers are filling food security gaps left by federal shutdown

It started with an Instagram post from local Armenian eatery Skewers last week.

“We have a number of prepacked, microwaveable chicken and rice meals available daily – free to anyone in need. No questions asked,” the post read, in part.

The demand since has been overwhelming, said Skewers owner Mirak Kazanjian.

The shop handed out 100 chicken and rice bowls on the first day, and the demand grew so high in the days following that the restaurant stopped keeping track of the number of meals going out the door. Kazanjian said if he had to guess, more than 300 residents were served over the weekend.

On Wednesday, just a week after he started, Kazanjian said his sign-up sheet for the meals was already nearing capacity for the week. He would like to keep the program going and plans to reopen the list next week, but it’s become taxing, and the community needs are greater than what he can tackle alone, he said.

“The phone’s just ringing off the hook all day,” Kazanjian said. “It’s really sad; there’s a lot of stories of people who haven’t had a meal in weeks. It’s so hard to turn people away in those situations.”

Kazanjian now has some help on the way. Amid the ongoing federal shutdown, restaurants and businesses across the Inland Northwest are stepping up in Uncle Sam’s stead to help feed their neighbors.

Starting this week, conjoined ice cream and bagel shops the Scoop and Hidden Bagel will be offering “pay what you can” hearty meals for no more than $3 every Thursday through the holidays, and this week 200 baked spaghetti meals are being offered free. The meals will be served at the South Hill location at 1001 W. 25th Ave from 5 to 7 p.m., and can be consumed in store or to-go.

The shop has become a Spokane staple over the past 14 years, and owner Jennifer Davis said she wanted to give back to the community that has supported her through it all. The program is intended to serve those experiencing hardship at a tumultuous time of year, whether it is those not receiving SNAP benefits or those eyeing the bottom line near the holidays.

“It’s the everyday person that just isn’t able to make ends meet, whether they’ve been laid off, furloughed or whatever it may be,” Davis said. “Like, if you have the potential of buying your groceries on credit cards, you’re struggling.”

Like Kazanjian, Davis is asking folks to reserve meals ahead of time. The free meals at Skewers must be reserved by phone, while the Hidden Bagel meals can be reserved online through the company’s website, hiddenbagel.com. Customers can choose to pay anywhere between zero and $3, and there is also an option to buy meals for others. Those looking to support Hidden Bagel can donate up to $150, or 50 meals, through the same website.

The effort is about neighbors helping neighbors, and fostering a sense of community, Davis said.

She applauded Kazanjian for spreading the giving spirit locally, and similar efforts to provide cheap and easy access to meals like Main Market Co-op’s weekly $5 meals. She’s relied on them to keep herself nourished over the years, and it inspired her effort to launch the “pay what you can up to $3” menu at Hidden Bagel.

“We’re just so much closer to being unhoused than we are to the billionaires,” Davis said.

Main Market Co-op still offers rotating $5 meals on Thursdays, and for the time being, has added Tuesday as an additional $5 meal night to support those in need. Shanon Davis, general manager of the downtown grocer, said the additional night will stay part of the store’s offerings until the federal benefits return in full.

Year round, the store allows customers to purchase groceries and meals for those in need, and available offerings are listed on a bulletin board within.

Main Market’s proximity to low-income housing like college dorms and senior living facilities means a good portion of the store’s revenue comes through programs like SNAP, Shanon Davis said. Customers spend an average of $3,000 to $4,000 in SNAP benefits alone, each week, she said.

“We’re doing the best we can, but we’re going to lose dollars too, as a small business,” Shanon Davis said.

Fellow local grocer Green’s Fresh Market is also chipping in some support for Spokane County residents, offering 100 $25 gift cards to customers who request them.

The Hillyard community is gritty and faces challenges together, said Niki Morse, daughter of owner Jack Green.

“All it boils down to is that our customers support us wholeheartedly, loyally, day in and day out,” Morse said. “Now there’s a time that they are in need, and it’s just important to us to be here for them.”

Morse said they had not planned on accepting community support for the gift card program, but there has been so much interest that they are exploring ways for customers to pay it forward for one another. It has been incredible to see the community’s willingness to help, she said.

“We just have a really, really special community here,” Morse said. “So we want to make sure to be here for them the way they’ve been here for us.”

Across the county in Nine Mile Falls, Martha Domitrovich is offering frozen take-and-bake meals through her company, the Supper Club. The take-and-bake preordered meal and catering business started as a group of mothers looking to stretch their resources to ensure their families were fed, and has grown to two locations in the eight years .

The main outpost at 10013 W. Charles Road in Nine Mile Falls is now host to a “Community Freezer,” which Domitrovich plans to keep stocked with free meals provided through personal, customer and local business donations. Customers can buy meals through the company’s website, thesupperclub.net, to place in the freezer, and Domitrovich plans to contribute what she can through her existing business.

Domitrovich has extended the invitation to keep the freezer stocked to local restaurants. Domitrovich said she is looking for donations of ingredients left at closing time that will keep if frozen, so she can incorporate them into the meals.

The freezer is in addition to a food drive Domitrovich is overseeing to stock local little free pantries. Giving back is baked into the company’s identity, so stepping up at a time like this provides an opportunity to reconnect with those roots, Domitrovich said.

She had a similar reflection about the COVID-19 pandemic, or the Oregon Road and Gray fires that tore through different portions of Spokane County in 2023.

“It’s a good reminder every couple of years that community really does matter, and when it comes down to it, people can see it,” Domitrovich said. “It gives you hope.”

Jenny Finau, owner of industrial kitchen space and catering operation Spokane Food and Events, already has her eye on the upcoming holiday. Finau is hoping to raise $10,000 to provide free Thanksgiving meals to families in need, and is calling on local residents to chip-in through a GoFundMe fundraiser.

Thanksgiving has always been a top holiday for Finau and her family, featuring roomfuls of family, friends and strangers alike. The idea of families not being able to celebrate over a full table was “heartbreaking,” both as a fan of the holiday and a former food stamp recipient, she said.

Donations to the cause will go towards purchasing groceries for a holiday meal, or pre-cooked meals Finau is already preparing as part of her seasonal business offerings. Finau said she is hoping to offer both to best serve the wide range of individuals who experience food insecurity.

“Something that a lot of folks don’t maybe know, if they haven’t been in a food-insecure place, is that a lot of folks don’t have the capacity to make a Thanksgiving meal,” Finau said. “They may get groceries or ingredients donated to them, but a lot of folks don’t have a roasting pan, or an oven, or a can opener, or a spice rack, where they could even make a turkey.”

The old adage about Spokane being the biggest small town in America rings most true in times of hardship, Finau said. She grew up in Pullman and has called Spokane home for years, but the city does not feel that much larger due to its close-knit nature and willingness among residents to support one another.

“People really do get to know their neighbors, and people really genuinely care about what’s happening to other community members,” Finau said.

That’s why the various efforts to ensure mouths are fed locally do not come as a surprise to Finau, she said. She called on Spokane County residents to double down over the weeks ahead.

“November is a time of empathy and gratitude, and the current national climate is in such disarray,” Finau said. “I want to encourage people to donate if they can, and volunteer where they can.”

“Or if they can’t, just offer someone some additional empathy during this really challenging time.”