Building community

Eastern Washington University student Brian Rebar's opening song at the Sept. 26 Feed Cheney in Sutton Park couldn't have been more appropriate for the community-building event: The Beatles "With a Little Help from My Friends."

Providing nutritional "help" through building networks of "friends" was what Natalie Tauzin and others envisioned when they started the monthly free-restaurant in 2010. But then, Feed Cheney is more than just a free-restaurant.

It's a place where those without sufficient monetary resources can get a hot meal and pick up much needed groceries, and where children can get a warm coat once a year. And it all comes with one simple requirement.

"All you have to do is give them your first name," volunteer Kathy Sawtells said as she stood at the grocery distribution tables waiting for the first guests Sept. 26.

As if to accentuate that point, a young woman with children walked up to her and asked if the event "was for anybody?" Sawtells happily told her it was, and pointed her towards a line of people at a card table where volunteer Carol Kriegh sat taking names, phone numbers and assigning numbers.

Kriegh explained the numbers were for people wishing to pick up groceries in addition to the meal, keeping the distribution orderly. Phone numbers help Feed Cheney stay in contact with those who attend within the last three months to let them know about upcoming events.

Kriegh and her husband Chuck got involved in Feed Cheney several years ago, something that helps her promote another volunteer activity the couple are engaged in: the Cheney Community Coat distribution. As folks with children came to sign in, she asked "How are you fixed for coats?" and made sure they knew of the upcoming distribution times and locations, including the October Feed Cheney.

The Krieghs, Sawtells and others are examples of how Feed Cheney has grown over the years. According to an article in the March 10, 2010 Cheney Free Press, Feed Cheney held its first free meal on Feb. 22, but no guests came.

Tauzin worked with various organizations and media outlets to spread the word further, and the effort paid off. According to organization information, in 2014, Feed Cheney served 1,276 guests meals - prepared by Spokane's Women and Children's Free Restaurant, which has provided hot meals since day one.

Last year, Feed Cheney served 1,152 guests, and so far in 2016 has provided meals for 796 people - including the 134 coming to Sutton Park on a warm, fall evening almost two weeks ago. Not all of those people pick up food, but those who do, pick up a lot.

"We probably distribute 1,000 – 2,000 pounds of groceries per month," Chuck Kriegh said.

Kriegh and a couple other volunteers pick up most of those groceries from Second Harvest in Spokane, while the rest come through donations. In 2014, Feed Cheney distributed 19,302 pounds of groceries, perishable and non-perishable, while in 2015 that grew to 20,211 pounds. So far in 2016, those needing food have taken home 14,718 pounds.

The organization buys most of the food, and is helped through fundraising by local organizations and churches such as the United Methodist Church, United Church of Christ and the Church of the Nazarene. Chuck Kriegh also said Feed Cheney's largest fundraiser is the annual "Souper Bowl," taking place on Super Bowl Sunday.

"Last year, we raised around $5,000," he added.

Feed Cheney also benefits a lot from volunteers, including Eastern students who often help out as part of club requirements. Standing in line handing out groceries at Sutton Park marks the third year of volunteering for Dressler Hall residents Danny Franklin and Willie Stoutzenberger.

"It makes you be part of the community so you're not just static," Franklin, who comes from Toronto, Canada said. "And you feel happier, too."

"And you get to meet a lot of people," Stoutzenberger added. Stoutzenberger said he volunteers at the hospital in his hometown of Moses Lake, and hopes to bring something like this back to his community.

And it's the entire community that benefits from Feed Cheney. Chuck Kriegh said he knows families that have not missed a single meal, while there are others who are coming for the first time.

Tauzin said some are hesitant to come, including students, because they don't want to admit they need the help. One of those, Ruthie Hanson, said she heard about Feed Cheney through EWU.

Hanson, a communications major, is on disability, unable to work, and can only live on her own because of her service dog, Destiny. She held back from the food line set up in front of Sutton Park's gazebo while others went ahead of her.

"I need food, but I don't like to ask for food," she said. "I feel others, like little kids, need it more."

Individuals such as Hanson, who eventually got the meal, benefit from more than just food at Feed Cheney. Tauzin said the event, which requires no financial information to participate in, is really about connecting people. People with resources sit at the table with people without resources, creating the possibility of sharing for the common good.

"I think there's still more we can do around the charity because people say there are people who need the help," Tauzin said. "There's still more work to be done there."

That work, though, has led to people making new friends who want to help them.

"I like the camaraderie and the selflessness of these people," Don Robins, who has been coming since 2014, said as he swept his hand around the gathering at Sutton Park. "These are just the best people in the world."

CONTACT INFO

Website: Feedcheney.com

Email: feedcheney@gmail.com

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