Annual drive to ensure no one is hungry in Medical Lake

In 2014, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services Secretary Kevin Quigley collaborated with the annual Washington State Combined Food Drive - a program that, according to a news release, encourages state public employees and retirees to strengthen communities through funding and support of charities - to create the "Everyone Eats" campaign.

As part of the campaign, employees at Eastern State Hospital (ESH), Lakeland Village and Consolidated Support Services (CSS) collected and donated tons of food to give to the Medical Lake Food Bank. But even with help from Spokane's Second Harvest Food Bank, it wasn't enough to feed everyone who uses the food bank, which according to president Jan Bailey, serves over 200 families a month.

So, as part of the 2015 campaign taking place Oct. 6 – Nov. 9, employees at ESH, Lakeland and CSS are taking aim at last year's tally of 9,270 pounds of food.

"We'd like to beat it," Joey Frost, ESH director of organizational development/communications said. "That's our goal is to beat that."

Although collection points are located in Medical Lake, Frost said anyone on the West Plains, including Airway Heights, Fairchild Air Force Base, Cheney and Eastern Washington University could contribute to the "Everyone Eats" food drive.

Drop boxes are now at the locations, which are at all three Medical Lake schools, City Hall, Umpqua Bank, the U.S. Post Office and Washington State Employees Credit Union, and will be picked up and emptied weekly or as needed - meaning when they are full.

Frost and Combined Food Drive Coordinator Susan Bordges are encouraging all individuals and businesses to help as much as they can. The city of Medical Lake has put a little of their muscle behind the effort by proclaiming Sept. 28 – Oct. 24 as the official "Everyone Eats Food Drive" for the community.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.