Feed Medical Lake offers more than a meal

Some arrived in the basement of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Medical Lake for the camaraderie and community. Others came for the chicken and dumplings. Whether for friendship or a hot meal, the line was long.

The event was another monthly hot dinner offered by Feed Medical Lake, a non-profit food pantry born from what Director Joanna William’s felt was divine direction after being spared death from cancer.

“Lord, if you have work for me, I’ll live,” she said of the prayer that put her where she is today.

Live she did, and in June 2011, Williams took $105 of her own money, opened a $5 bank account, bought a $50 food handlers permit, and with the remaining $50 made soup and sandwiches. She ended up serving 89 meals on her first day.

Although Feed Medical Lake, a ministry of the St. John’s Lutheran Church, has had its ups and downs since that first day, it has so far always managed. For example, things were tight last November, Williams admitted. But a pre-holiday bake sale brought the organization back to a solid financial posture.

Donations are always needed. Feed Medical Lake serves anywhere from 59 to 90 people per month, either from its food pantry or the hot meal it provides twice per month.

The people who come vary in age. According to Williams, on average about 25 percent of their clients are younger than 18 years old. Another 25 percent are between the ages of 19 and 55. But the bulk of the people who use the pantry are 56 years old and older. Many are infirm in some way.

“Our numbers tend to go down in winter due to a lack of mobility,” she noted. “But it also depends on what we’re serving.”

Everyone is welcome. There are no income checks or other qualifiers.

“Anyone can come eat — it’s all free,” Williams said. “We don’t turn people away.”

The reason is as community-oriented as it gets. Feed Medical Lake originally started as a ministry to serve the unemployed and homeless, or people on a limited income. But Williams quickly realized that many didn’t want to be stigmatized by showing up for a handout. So, she opened the doors to everyone with the hope that not only would people in need come get what they needed, but to create an opportunity to network too.

“Someone who needs a job could network with someone who has an opportunity,” Williams said.

Ron Morrison and his wife Sonya have been coming for two years. The retired couple on a fixed budget said they don’t come necessarily for the food, although they admitted it sometimes supplements their food budget. But they come mainly for friendship.

“We like to sit by people we know,” Sonya said. “For the conversation.”

Feed Medical Lake is staffed by 25 volunteers, with oversight from a 15-member board. Four board positions are currently vacant, according to Williams.

The volunteers themselves are a dedicated bunch. Samantha Cummins even makes the hour and a half drive from Usk once a month to continue the volunteer duties she started two years ago, before she moved.

“I still love it down here,” Cummins said, noting the “good vibe” among the other volunteers. “We’re like a family.’

Judy Lent has been volunteering since the beginning. She handles picking up food from Northwest Harvest. Why volunteer for Feed Medical Lake?

“We see how it helps people,” Lent, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said. “We saw a need in this community. There’s a big need.”

Lent keeps a large, well-stocked pantry of her own at home, of which Williams occasionally takes advantage to help those dealing with an emergent situation, like a house fire.

Lent echoed Cummins’ sentiments about volunteering.

“We’re like family here,” she said. “We take care of each other.”

Williams said there are never enough volunteers, however. Especially men — there are currently only three men in her volunteer ranks.

“It would be nice if we had more muscle,” Williams, who is herself confined to a wheelchair, said.

Volunteers all have their own things they enjoy doing, and Williams does her best to accommodate them. There is plenty to do: prepping, cooking, cleanup, serving and, like Lent, gathering food from the five greater Spokane County community resources used by Feed Medical Lake. In addition to Northwest Harvest, Feed Medical Lake partners with the Union Gospel Mission, Feed Spokane, Meals on Wheels and Second Harvest for staples.

In addition to offering both hot food and staples, Williams also offers cooking lessons using ingredients found in the pantry.

Feed Medical Lake is open twice per month. The second Monday of each month offers free groceries beginning at 4:14 p.m., followed by a free dinner between 5 – 6 p.m. The fourth Monday Feed Medical Lake provides a free lunch between 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. For more information go to their website at feedmedicallake.org, or contact Joanna at 509-714-1150.

Donations are always accepted.

Lee Hughes can be reached at [email protected].