Salvation Army hosts ’emergency food drive’ to keep up with ‘unprecedented demand’

Nov. 1—Salvation Army staff and volunteers tossed donated food items, from tuna cans to ramen noodles, into white cardboard boxes in a light rain Saturday as part of the organization’s one-day “emergency food drive.” The effort has been fueled by the uncertain future of federal food aid and record-breaking turnout at the Salvation Army’s Spokane food pantry last month.

“We are growing food because of the increased need due to the government shutdown and some of the challenges surrounding hard-working families right now,” said Capt. David Cain, county coordinator for the Salvation Army in Spokane.

The Trump administration has refused to use its $6 billion emergency fund to fund food stamps or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program starting this weekend during the government shutdown. But on Friday, two federal judges ordered the Trump administration to use those funds for food aid. More than 40 million Americans, including 83,000 Spokane County residents, use this program to help them buy groceries.

Judges gave the Trump administration until Monday to come up with a plan to continue paying SNAP benefits, but it’s still unclear if and when those payments will continue.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson announced last week that he would direct $2.2 million a week in additional funding to food banks in the state if an agreement is not reached by Nov. 1.

Cain said he saw an increase in the number of families using the Salvation Army food pantry in north Spokane, located on Indiana Avenue between Lidgerwood and Ruby streets, before early November, when food stamps were to be paused.

The pantry, one of the largest food pantries in Spokane County, serves about 170 families a day, Cain said. This average was exceeded on several days in late October; This includes one day when more than 270 families showed up at the food distribution center. This was the highest food distribution center ever.

The goal of Saturday’s food drive was to restock shelves to keep up with “unprecedented demand” seen not only in Spokane but also at the Salvation Army Market of Hope’s food pantries across the state, according to a press release from the organization.

Salvation Army staff and volunteers hosted the food drive in partnership with Walmart under a black Salvation Army canopy outside the doors of the Shadle Park Walmart in North Spokane.

The trip brought an estimated 1 to 2 tons of food, according to the Salvation Army.

Christine Carlile and Victoria Nicodemus were some of the first to donate on Saturday. When asked why they decided to donate food, both women, who donated at different times, said: “People need to eat.”

“This is one of the richest countries in the world,” Carlile said. “There shouldn’t be hungry people in this country. It bothers me.”

Women donated cereal, dozens of cans of tuna, Top Ramen, soup, peanut butter, bread, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese and other canned foods.

Both called the federal government’s decision to pause SNAP benefits “absurd.”

“You shouldn’t use food, or people’s medical care, or things that people need as political weapons,” Carlile said.

Nicodemus said he knows many people with health issues who are on food stamps.

“Why are you taking people’s food?” He spoke about the Trump administration’s decision. “This is ridiculous.”

Cain said many people depend on SNAP benefits and food pantries to barely get by. Many families who use the Salvation Army food pantry are on the verge of homelessness and are making difficult decisions between buying food and paying the bills.

“We often act as a buffer between really challenging decisions,” Cain said.

Cain said the end of the month is usually the busiest time for food pantries as people run out of SNAP benefits, but given federal food aid uncertainties, Cain doesn’t expect a slowdown from November onwards.

The Salvation Army’s food warehouse is under construction and is expected to be completed in December. Cain said the organization planned to close the pantry for two weeks to transition to the new space, but decided against it due to increased food needs in the community.

“We were on the verge of finishing the construction project, but we knew it wasn’t the time to do that, so we stayed in our temporary space,” Cain said.

The renovated pantry, funded by a $500,000 grant from the city of Spokane, will triple in size and offer more food to better accommodate people’s dietary restrictions and cultural preferences, he said.

“We are very excited to open our customers’ preferred food pantry in December to better serve and more strategically serve the needs of these families,” Cain said.

Cain said the pantry will also test alternative hours every Wednesday for the next three weeks to help working families.

Starting this Wednesday, the pantry will open from noon to 6.30pm All other days it will continue to operate from 10am to 3pm

All donations from Saturday’s food drive will go to the Salvation Army’s Spokane pantry. The Public, 222 E. Indiana Ave. You can still donate food to the organization at or donate money online at: makingspokanebetter.org.

“This challenge pushes people to the edge, even without the advancement of their communities, and so one of the things we love about our Spokane neighbors and donors is how generous and open they are about standing up for needs and supporting our neighbors who are struggling during these challenging times,” Cain said.