Community groups work together
Bring food to those in need
Rahana Zellars
Issue date: 11/2/09 Section: Life
The Community Action Partnership Food Bank, Community Roots and the Shared Harvest Garden work together to bring produce and perishables to assistance facilities and places of need in the area. They feed thousands of people in Kootenai County and the surrounding areas weekly.
Community Roots, a volunteer-based agency, aids in the pickup and donation of produce for the food banks and other facilities needing additional assistance. Community Roots started in May 2007. A donation drop-off is located at the Shared Harvest Garden on 10th Street and Foster Avenue and Davis Donuts on Fourth Street. Community Roots uses bikes to pick up leftover food from the downtown farmers' market to help reduce greenhouse gases.
The Shared Harvest community garden has brought neighbors together in the downtown Garden District. Kim "garden fairy" Normand, 51, proposed the idea of a community garden. In October of last year Realtor Marshall Mend offered use of 10th and Foster. The land held three lots that were vacant for more than 20 years and 40 volunteers cleaned it up within five hours. Today 52 plots are rented for $25 per year. Each renter commits to 10 hours a season and donates half or more of the produce to Community Roots.
"Shared Harvest follows the motto of 'Growing, Learning and Giving,'" said Normand.
The Community Action Partnership Food Bank also continues to help with the need for food in this region. The Food Bank has been around since 1964 and is an offshoot of United Way. They remain the distribution center for local soup kitchens and for the five surrounding counties of Benewah, Bonners, Shoshone, Kootenai and Boundary.
Katy Freer, program aide, said, "The Food Bank supplies food to low income families once a week."
Students who are not making ends meet are welcome at the Food Bank, which also makes a food box for those in dire need, offered three times in a 12-month period. In 2008 the Food Bank donated 225,387 pounds of food to people in this area.
Community Roots, a volunteer-based agency, aids in the pickup and donation of produce for the food banks and other facilities needing additional assistance. Community Roots started in May 2007. A donation drop-off is located at the Shared Harvest Garden on 10th Street and Foster Avenue and Davis Donuts on Fourth Street. Community Roots uses bikes to pick up leftover food from the downtown farmers' market to help reduce greenhouse gases.
The Shared Harvest community garden has brought neighbors together in the downtown Garden District. Kim "garden fairy" Normand, 51, proposed the idea of a community garden. In October of last year Realtor Marshall Mend offered use of 10th and Foster. The land held three lots that were vacant for more than 20 years and 40 volunteers cleaned it up within five hours. Today 52 plots are rented for $25 per year. Each renter commits to 10 hours a season and donates half or more of the produce to Community Roots.
"Shared Harvest follows the motto of 'Growing, Learning and Giving,'" said Normand.
The Community Action Partnership Food Bank also continues to help with the need for food in this region. The Food Bank has been around since 1964 and is an offshoot of United Way. They remain the distribution center for local soup kitchens and for the five surrounding counties of Benewah, Bonners, Shoshone, Kootenai and Boundary.
Katy Freer, program aide, said, "The Food Bank supplies food to low income families once a week."
Students who are not making ends meet are welcome at the Food Bank, which also makes a food box for those in dire need, offered three times in a 12-month period. In 2008 the Food Bank donated 225,387 pounds of food to people in this area.
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