SPOKANE, Wash. — As grocery stores fill with holiday shoppers preparing festive meals, food banks across the region experience similar surges in activity to ensure families in need can also enjoy warm holiday dinners.
The 2nd Harvest Zilch Market looks like an average supermarket, complete with fresh produce, baked goods and canned items. But there is one thing that separates this store from the rest — everything here is free.
“The people behind you are handling the equivalent of our cash register. We weigh the food and take it our of our inventory,” said Tony Cook from 2nd Harvest.
The Zilch Market is run almost entirely by volunteers and serves as a place for small organizations like churches, senior centers and neighborhood food pantries to pick up food for their communities. While the market is used to items flying off the shelf, during the holidays, some of the organizations see a surge in demand.
“The other component of Zilch is our distributions. And in fact, we’ve got five of those running today. Right before the holiday, we want to be sure we get everybody lots of food,” Cook said.
The Off Broadway Food Bank represents one of the groups that shops at the market. Each week, they typically go through 2,000 pounds of food and serve around 800 people. This week, the group is stocking up with more supplies.
“Well, that’s why we are here today. We decided we need to go on Tuesday because we have zilch. So it will be, again, it will be a lifeline. It is at the end of the month, but even at the first of the month, the need is so big,” said Janice Foland from Off Broadway Lighthouse.
By having the market look like an actual grocery store, agencies can shop for food like they’re used to and pick out food that they know their community needs.
“Today it’s extraordinary what we receive. As many days a week we can come and take back to West Side, where we get an empty pantry every Monday,” Foland said.
The program’s impact extends beyond basic nutrition assistance. Foland emphasized the critical nature of the service for community survival.
“If it wasn’t for the food that second harvest gives and the other outreaches, we would have people dying from hunger,” she said.
The hope is that the Zilch Market makes it easier to get food into every pocket of the community, so that no one goes hungry this holiday.
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