‘Our mission is to combat food insecurity’: Turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffed bellies, Spokane Valley soup kitchen opened this weekend with Thanksgiving on the menu

It’s rare that a knock on your door leads you to a free Thanksgiving meal, but that’s exactly what happened to Lisa Frost on Saturday afternoon.

A group of volunteers came to Frost’s door to invite her to the debut dinner at the Nourish Spokane Community Soup Kitchen . A Thanksgiving meal sounded nice to Frost, particularly on a cold Saturday afternoon.

At 3:30 p.m., it was her first meal of the day, Frost said.

Dozens of people like Frost filtered in and out of the soup kitchen that afternoon, said Jacqueline Babol, the executive director of the Filipino American Northwest Association. The soup kitchen and food bank operates in a building owned by Babol, at 205 N. University Road, Suite 3, in Spokane Valley.

Frost couldn’t keep her delight contained as she enjoyed a plate full of turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing and mixed vegetables.

“I love the stuffing and the cranberry sauce. It’s very good,” Frost said. “The stuffing has nice vegetables and celery to give it a nice crunch.”

Babol and her team operate Nourish Spokane through the Filipino American organization. This project has been in the works for two years, said Veronica Bropas, Filipino American Northwest Association president. Bropas also works in the kitchen at Inland Northwest Behavioral Health.

“We decided this was the year to do it, and guess what happened? We have that problem with SNAP, so people need food,” Bropas said. “We’re hoping to fill that gap, even though we didn’t anticipate that.”

Nationwide concerns had grown in recent months that the federal government shutdown could have cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps. The timing of the soup kitchen’s opening is perfect, Bropas said. The government reopened last week.

“Food is very, very important,” Bropas said. “Our mission is to combat food insecurity.”

Frost, who is on Social Security, said food prices in recent months have directly impacted how stocked her pantry is. She wants to eat healthy meals and enjoys a salad every now and then, but as grocery prices soar , Frost said, she’s purchasing food she enjoys less.

“I was at Walmart and the lettuce was almost $3 a head, so if you wanted a healthy salad, well, you’re gonna want some tomatoes and other things in it. It’s more expensive than you think,” Frost said.

Preparation for the soup kitchen’s meal on Saturday began on Friday morning, Bropas said. Several volunteers were at the soup kitchen setting up tables and cleaning the space while Bropas prepared the 12 turkeys for cooking.

At 2 a.m. Saturday, Babol was at the soup kitchen turning on the ovens so all the turkeys could be cooked on time.

“We’re really proud of ourselves,” Babol said. “It’s a daunting task and we’re grateful for the support.”

Jason Healey and his wife, Silia, were among the 45 volunteers who came to the soup kitchen Saturday.

Healey, who works as a 911 dispatcher for Spokane County, said he always has wanted to be a chef. Healey attended the Art Institute of San Diego to study culinary arts but never pursued food full time because it would dramatically decrease his income, he said. The soup kitchen is a way for Healey to flex his culinary muscle while serving others.

After everyone was fed, Bropas and the 45 volunteers gathered to have a celebratory “family dinner.”

“There are a lot of needs,” Bropas said. “I’m blessed to have a good job and money. I just want to share what I’ve got.”

The soup kitchen will have a Christmas meal 2 to 4 p.m. Dec. 20; starting on Jan. 26, the kitchen will have hot meals available 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. every second and fourth Saturday of the month . The soup kitchen runs off of donations. Folks looking to volunteer, including chefs and cooks, can sign up online at filamnw.org/join-%2F-donate.

Donations of nonperishable food or money can be dropped off 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays or call (509) 240-9932 for more information.