Stories of Service: The Spokane Falls Community College Food Bank

The harsh economic times facing many in our neighborhoods and communities has increased the demand for the services provided by nonprofits, and nowhere is that urgency felt more than in the nation's food banks. The Washington Campus Compact VISTA program at Spokane Falls Community College knows of the food shortages and hunger facing many in their communities and-with the help of Second Harvest-is taking on the initiative of helping to feed local individuals and families with the Spokane Falls Community College Food Bank.

Operating for over a decade, the Spokane Falls Community College Food Bank assists between 13-30 SFCC students and their families on a weekly basis, so students may concentrate on higher learning and ensuring a brighter future for themselves and their loved ones, instead of having the constant worry of searching for ways to feed their families.

Leading the way in the operation of the SFCC Food Bank is Washington Campus Compact VISTA Member Amanda Petrina. In her first year with the WACC*VISTA service-learning program and coming to Spokane Falls Community College from just north of Spokane in Dear Park, Amanda dedication to the SFCC Food Bank as well as her commitment to the communities she calls home has taken the services of the food bank to new heights. Being responsible for the product inventory, database management, food ordering from Second Harvest, stocking food, and supervisory responsibilities of work-study students, Amanda has seen first hand the struggles that many in the community are currently enduring. By her estimate, "the food bank is serving 10 kids a week, up from one or two a week" and "has seen a noticeable increase" in traffic over recent months. Throughout the hard times, Amanda and her team of work study students have put forth maximum effort to combat the rising tide of hunger in the area, leading to Amanda's recent decision to sign-on for a second year of VISTA service with Spokane Falls Community College's service-learning program. Amanda's prolonged commitment to Spokane Falls Community College and its students in need of the food bank's services is about more than helping those strive through our current troubles, it is about ensuring the long-term sustainability of such a valuable community resource for future generations. Before her service is done at Spokane Falls Community College, Amanda envisions the college's food bank with a comprehensive database that can track the number and individual frequency of food bank shoppers, so they may better identify and assist those in the community who are in the most need of help. In addition, Amanda foresees a food bank that is as convenient and assessable to the community as possible.

Certainly, Amanda will accomplish much during her time with Washington Campus Compact VISTA and she will not have to go far to see the families and communities that will benefit from all of her hard work, they will be found in the area she calls home.