Cleone's Closet is located at 13114 West Sunset Highway and is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon – 3 p.m. They also recently started opening up on the first and third Monday of the month from 4 – 7 p.m.
The food pantry, Cleone's Closet, in Airway Heights is quickly approaching their one year anniversary since relocating to 13114 West Sunset Highway and things are still running smoothly.
"Things are going great at the food pantry," founder Mable Dunbar said. "It has been very busy, but very rewarding. A lot of people are coming into the community with nothing and they are very grateful (for Cleone's)."
The organization collects data in two months increments, and the last ones reported were from the April to May period. During that time, Cleone's gave out 17,000 pounds of food and served over 2,000 people.
"We run out of food every day that we are open," Dunbar said. "We allow people to shop and let them take whatever they want. There has been a great response."
Cleone's Closet is more than just a food pantry, as it serves as a meeting place for a lot of people as well. With a community room set up in the entrance, Dunbar says people can come in just to talk and visit before taking any food.
There was also a group from the regional health department that hosted a "Play and Learn" session for a while in Cleone's community room.
"We have meetings there but it is also a resource center," Dunbar said. "People will drop off brochures for information. Lice kits have also been distributed from Cleone's."
Just recently, Avista had parked outside Cleone's and gave away free samples of energy saving resources. People will also drop off clothes to be given away to others in need.
The food donated to Cleone's has also been coming from a variety of sources throughout the community. Some of it comes from Yoke's, Walmart and Grocery Outlet while there are also people from the community just coming in to donate food.
"It has been very exciting," Dunbar said. "They have been reaching out and supporting us."
Potentially, the next step for Cleone's Closet is to open a new thrift store to share items donated for the community. Before moving to the new location, Cleone's Closet did offer the option, but the new place does not have the right amount of space to accommodate a store.
"The bins of clothes and shoes are empty by the end of the day," Dunbar said. "People have been giving a lot of donations."
Dunbar hopes to find a building soon to help open one up for the community.
Until then, Cleone's Closet will be hosting a garage sale on Aug. 12 in the Yoke's parking lot to show the community what they have available for resources.
The food pantry is currently open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon – 3 p.m. They also recently started opening up on the first and third Monday of the month from 4 – 7 p.m. to help accommodate for those who are working during the other hours.
"I just want to say thank you to the city and the community for their support," Dunbar said.
Grace Pohl can be reached at grace@cheneyfreepress.com.
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