Food Bank Victim Of High Energy Prices

SPOKANE — A local food bank cleaned out its refrigerators Tuesday.

The New Heights food bank in North Spokane has food, but it’s closing a couple of cooling units, and asking for help.

The New Heights food bank is sponsored by New Heights Church. Church Pastor Vaughn Wood says the food bank’s vision has outgrown it’s small space in a building next to the church. Wood said the food bank must downsize because the five refrigerators and freezers are a safety hazard for the small building.

The church asked the food bank to pull the plug on all of its refrigerators and freezers but two. Now the food bank is appealing to the public for a new space so it can keep helping about 60 people a day.

“I’ll show you this right here with the produce,” John Palmer said. “We have fresh peaches fresh asparagus, tomatoes, we got a lot dry goods beans lentils, we’ve got milk, chocolate milk, goat milk.”

But it’s losing cold places to put all the food.

“Empty right here, empty here, had to empty today, got another empty here,” Palmer said.

The food bank unplugged two of it’s refrigerators Tuesday and will empty and shut down two more Thursday. Palmer says the food bank will remain open but won’t be able to accept as much fresh food.

“It’s going to be real tough. We’re going to have to refuse donations because we don’t have a place to put them,” Palmer said. “The community is relying on us for these things.”

Palmer says New Heights helps an average of 60 people a day, and with out the cold storage, it won’t be able to help as many. The group is praying another church, business or organization will donate a place for the food bank to relocate and plug back in.

“A building we can hook these refrigerators up and stock up again and continue to distribute food to the people in need,” Palmer said.

Tuesday night, Palmer said the church couldn’t afford the power bills for all the refrigerators. Wednesday, Pastor Wood said the church can afford the utilities. He said the main reason they’ve asked for the food bank to pull the plug on some cooling units is safety in the small building.

If you can help New Heights food bank with a new space you can email news4@old.kxly.com and we will get the message to the food bank.