Cheney restaurants part of Meals on Wheels fundraiser

Three Cheney restaurants will be joining others in Spokane, Spokane Valley and other county locations on a week-long campaign to build community while raising money for the Spokane non-profit Meals on Wheels.

The campaign, “Waffles 4 Wheels” was created by Cheney resident, community fundraiser and longtime marketing professional Tad Richardson. Launched in 2016 at a Spokane restaurant, Waffles 4 Wheels raised almost $2,000 for Meals on Wheels in its first two years.

This year, 20 locally-owned restaurants are involved, including three in Cheney: Bene’s, the Mason Jar and Marketplace Bakery & Eatery. According to a news release, during the week of March 10 - 16, participating restaurants will feature special menu items — not just waffles — from which a portion of the purchase price will be donated directly to Meals on Wheels.

Some locations will also offer customers an opportunity to donate further by rounding up their change to Meals on Wheels.

“We have 20 restaurants committed to participating in one form or another, and I expect to sign more up next week,” Richardson said in a Feb. 16 email.

Part of the campaign includes partnering with two local social media blogs to promote the fundraiser: Spokane Eats and Untapped Cheney. While the details have yet to be worked out, Richardson said he and Untapped Cheney originator Kahla Ableman will visit the Cheney-area restaurants on March 8 to sample their Waffles4Wheels items and talk about their participation.

“Part of what I’m trying to create with this program is a sense of community among the restaurant owners who are participating,” Richardson said.

According to the release, Meals on Wheels “has been delivering hot, nutritious meals to elderly, disabled and home-bound seniors since 1967.” Over 400 volunteers helped Meals on Wheels Spokane serve 146,000 meals to over 750 seniors and others who cannot meet this need in 2018. The organization has set a goal in 2019 to deliver an additional 10,000 meals.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].