SPOKANE, Wash. — Washington Air National Guardsmen are spending this week helping Second Harvest pack and distribute food throughout the Spokane area.
Second Harvest Inland Northwest is volunteer driven. It relies on about 400 volunteers to fulfill its food packing and distribution needs.
But during the coronavirus crisis that number of volunteers took a big hit.
"In the COVID-19 environment, many of the people that have time to volunteer, retirees, fall in to high-risk category as identified by the CDC and they're unable to volunteer," Senior Vice President of Philanthropy Drew Meuer said.
Meuer adds as the number of unemployment claims sore in Washington state, so does the need for food banks.
"As those initial unemployment claims start to rise, we're definitely seeing a correlation between the people seeking food assistance," Meuer said.
So with fewer volunteers and more work, that's where the Washington Air National Guard comes in.
"It's a need and our guardsmen are stepping up, knowing it's a very important need across our state," Washington National Guard spokesperson Joseph Siemandel said.
This week, 47 guardsmen from the 141st Air Refueling Wing are working with Second Harvest to help with the increased need for food in the Spokane area.
"It's positive in both ways," Siemandel said. "From a Guard stand point, our folks just love helping our neighbors."
Before the coronavirus, Second Harvest typically distributed about 150,000 pounds of food each week. Meuer said last week, it distributed 600,000 pounds.
"We have distributed more each of the last couple of weeks and that trend is likely to continue," Meuer said.
As guardsmen work alongside volunteers, they are packing boxes mixed with dry food and perishables.
Meuer said each donation is packaged with about 4 days worth of food for about 5 people.
"Just been a really welcomed additional to the group and they are making a tremendous difference out in our warehouse," Meuer said.