Free Food Pantries - Mary Charbonneau

 

 

           July 15: Noon meeting at the Bark. Speaker: Korin Michielli, JOYA.

 

           July 22: Noon meeting at the Bark. Program: Lumen Star Scholarship recipients.

 

           July 29: Noon meeting at the Bark. Speaker: Tom Stevenson, Bite2Go.

 

 

         Melinda Keberle was happy that she and her son traveled to Cincinnati and Toronto to visit major league games, marking their 27^th and 28^th stadium visits.

 

         Steve Bergman was happy to visit Orcas Island on his boat, where he visited that Puget Sound site 30 years ago.

 

         Jessica Shew was happy that family and friends were able to evade the devastation of Hurricane Beryl in Texas.

 

         John Mailliard was happy for a satisfying driving trip to visit family and friends in California and Oregon.

 

        Chuck Rehberg was happy that flying on four Boeing airplanes to the Midwest and back last week “nothing bad happened.”

 

 

        Happy New Rotary Year!

 

        Club President Nancy Hanson reminded members that Friday, July 12, is the party and installation of new and returning officers and directors at Art Rudd’s home.  The social gathering begins at 5:30 p.m. and the event is catered.

 

 

       Club Foundation Chair John Mailliard reminded that $25 of each quarter of club member dues supports Rotary International projects.  Some Rotarians add $1,000 each year for annual Paul Harris awards.

 

 

       Club activities chair Laura Zahn said upcoming events include a Riverpark Square tour at 1:15 p.m. on July 29; and a booth at the Fairwood Market on Tuesday, Aug. 27.  A day in September for a Habitat for Humanity build also is planned.

 

 

       Ron Noble, Sheila Fritts and Jessica Shew joined the Holmes staff and students for the final Golden Hero Awards of this school year -- thanks to them!

 

 

 

     

       Hundreds of hungry patrons line up, sometimes daily for Little Free Pantries in Spokane.

 

       Unlike cart-filled grocery bags, most pantry patrons take only a few items to get through the day, Mary Charbonneau, a long-time volunteer, told club members at the July 8 luncheon.

 

       The pantry idea started as an off-shoot of the little free library books concept, filled with small covered cabinets on posts, she said. 

 

       Now dozens of small cabinets are filled with non-perishable food items in low-income neighborhoods throughout Spokane and the Spokane Valley.  “We now have 68 free pantries and all are very busy,” Charbonneau said.  She also wants to add sites in the West Plains area.

 

       She said a wide assortment of folks have built little free pantries, including Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. A Great Family Project site distributes how-to building kits with patterns and assembly tips.  Food items come from a variety of sources including large food banks.   

 

       At the luncheon she showed a small grocery bag with her “top five items,” including dry cereal, canned fish, a chicken meat pouch, a banana and a jar of peanut butter (“the top favorite.”).  Spaghetti and sauce also are popular, because the dishes can last several days, she added.

 

     The free pantry idea started several years ago, spurred nation-wide by the pandemic in 2020, Charbonneau said.

 

     She said a statewide survey shows that in Spokane County 49 percent are struggling to get adequate food, adding, “56 percent of those households have kids in the home.”  One website added that “29 percent of those experiencing food insecurity do not qualify for federal nutrition programs.”

                                                                                                                                                                                              Mary & Paul's Little Pantry 

      With the help of her husband, Bill, she said up to 250 pounds a day and 100 users are distributed at her pantry  near Monroe and Montgomery.  Bill, using their pickup, loads about 500 pounds of items weekly to that little pantry.

 

      Mary said each little free pantry has a “steward,” who monitors the site.  She said 40 to 50 stewards meet monthly to share ideas.  

 

      The littlefreepantrySpokane.org site, created two years ago, has 4,100 members and lists the pantry “no-nos,” including no medicines or vitamins and no glass items.

 

      The site adds: “Stay on topic.  No politics. No irrelevant shared links.  No food deliveries and no pictures with permission.”

 

      The Spokane free pantry site also adds:

 

               “Sharing food is more than nourishment; it’s a profound act of generosity and connection.

 

               “It’s a reminder that amidst our differences, we all hunger for kindness and community.”