“It makes a big difference to the people”: Spokane man refills empty neighborhood pantry

December 17, 2021 9:20 pm

Posted: December 17, 2021 9:20 PM

SPOKANE, Washington. – Feeding your family during the vacation can be stressful. This is the reality for some people all year round. A non-profit Spokane organization is committed to ensuring that everyone gets a meal on the table.

Heal Spokane began four years ago with a simple act of kindness.

“I’ve found that giving back to other people has made me feel good,” said Sather Gowdy, founder of Heal Spokane. “I felt I had value and connection to this community.”

On Thursday morning, he saw a picture of an empty pantry in the neighborhood on Facebook.

“There are a lot of families who rely on these types of pantries to get from A to B – to get between paychecks,” Gowdy said.

He picked up food from the organization and filled the pantry near Monroe and Montgomery. A day later, Gowdy says that much of what he gave was gone.

Before our interview with Gowdy, one person was filling the pantry with homemade banana bread. After talking to Gowdy, a woman drove by with another donation.

“She comes by this pantry all the time and wanted to give something back,” said Gowdy. “She donated $ 10 so we could make sure the person who owns this box – puts this box up and gets it $ 10.”

The neighborhood pantry is one of many places people can get food.

“Unfortunately, the demand remains very high,” said Eric Williams, Community Partnerships Director at 2nd Harvest. “In the past few weeks we’ve been really fortunate enough to be able to get lots of groceries and hand them out on your local board, your local pantry.”

Gowdy says every little bit helps, whether you hand in banana bread or bring boxes of food.

“I think service should be easy to access and I think if you do it that way, you get so much in return,” he said.

A simple act of kindness will make a world very different for your loved one.

“I think if we give just a little things will be fine,” said Gowdy.

If you are looking for a list of pantries click here.

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