Delivery food boxes now available for those unable to attend mobile markets. Here’s how to order

December 11, 2020 3:11 PM

Erin Robinson, Elenee Dao,

Posted: December 11, 2020 3:11 PM

Updated: December 11, 2020 6:19 PM

by Erin Robinson, Elenee Dao

SPOKANE, Wash. — People are in need of help getting food now more than ever.

For those who can’t leave their home or drive, there’s a new way to get boxes of food delivered.

It’s been months of ups and downs for Charity Rose and so many other people.

“March was the last real job that I had and it’s kind of been a lot of side jobs here and there to try and keep things going,” she told 4 News Now.

That’s the reality for many people in Spokane and across the country.

Normally, Rose would go get food from the food bank, but she doesn’t always have time to go when they’re open.

Thankfully, on Friday, the Spokane County Food Security Coalition brought food to her.

“It’s hard to ask for help when everything’s kind of shut down and everything like that, trying to pay the rent,” she said.

The delivery of Second Harvest food boxes is new for this month. Special Mobility Services wrote the grant to get the pilot delivery program going. Now, it’s working with many others including Jewels Helping Hands, Greater Spokane County Meals on Wheels and more to help deliver food boxes to those in need.

“One of the limitations and the gaps of the system is getting food to people who either don’t have transportation or not reliable transportation who have mobility issues,” explained Natalie Tauzin, a member of the Spokane County Food Security Coalition as well as a volunteer driver for the program.

The food is funded by the CARES Act and is supplied by Second Harvest.

The pilot program will only go through the month of December and Second Harvest estimates it’ll give away approximately 4,750 boxes of food, which are about 10 pounds each.

“If you’d ask me five months ago would this need be like it is, I would say, ‘Oh, probably not,’ and now all indications are, the need is just going to continue well into next year,” said Eric Williams with Second Harvest.

In the past year, Second Harvest has held nearly three times as many mobile markets as they have in past years, with most of that need stemming from the pandemic.

Tauzin said they are trying to be intentional in delivering food to the “most marginalized communities.”

“That the effort can go where it’s needed most,” she said.

Friday was the first time Rose reached out to the delivery program, and she was pleased about how it went.

“It’s going to be really helpful being able to make actual meals and stuff instead of just eating small things here and there,” she said.

Reserving a box is easy. You can reserve your delivery weekly at sms1.org, by calling 211 for live support or by texting your zip code to 898-211. You can also email ew211@incontactmail.com.

They are also looking for more delivery drivers, click here if you’d like to help out.