COEUR d'ALENE - The line for the Second Harvest Mobile Food Bank early Friday morning snaked around the parking lot of the Lake City Community Church.

More than 200 clutched empty boxes and paper bags as they waited to collect free groceries.

"Whoaaa," exclaimed 2-year-old Gabriel Blake as he joined the line with his family.

They would wait as long as it took, said his mother, Reba.

"My husband is the sole provider of seven," she said, glancing at the six youngest dancing around their legs. "We just run out of funds at the end of the month."

Fruits and vegetables were the main attraction that morning, the Post Falls woman said.

They're expensive items at the grocery store, and sometimes the produce at the Community Action Partnership Food Bank is on the cusp of expiring.

"I'm thankful for that, too," she said. "But fresh food is so important."

Judy Hitchcock, single mother of four, waited in line with her 23-year-old son Chris Towles.

Affording groceries is tricky because Hitchcock is on disability, she explained.

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"Because of the financial situation, he's still at home," she said of her son. "Things are hard all around."

Trips to the food bank are essential, they agreed.

"It helps to have something to eat," Towles said flatly.

Sandra Clearwater of Post Falls pushed a cart past the food bank's tables, where she loaded up on potatoes, apples, watermelon, pears, meat and bread.

"We've about got a whole meal," she announced when she was finished.

It was a huge weight off to get roughly $50 worth of food for free, she said, especially since she is on disability and her husband is hard up for employment.

"With my situation, everything helps," Clearwater said.

Drew Meuer, Second Harvest member services coordinator, said he expected the entire 7,500 pounds of food to be taken that morning.

"This is the third one this week, and we ran out at every distribution," Meuer said, adding that the mobile food bank serves all of North Idaho and Eastern Washington.

Demand is definitely up, Meuer added.

"We do our best to meet the need," he said.

Lake City Community Church is helping ease the burden.

Besides hosting the mobile food bank on Friday morning, the church has also constructed a new facility for its own food bank, which had a grand opening celebration Friday afternoon.

"There are other food banks, but there's so much need in the community, one more isn't going to hurt," said Joyce Dexter, food bank manager.

The church's food bank has existed for five years, she said, but the spacious new structure at 6000 North Ramsey Road now has room for folks to sort through packaged goods and produce.

"They can pick out what they want, instead of us just handing them food," Dexter said.

Since the building opened in June, she added, the food bank has seen 81 new families.

"A lot of times, they say 'We used to donate, and now we're having to come,'" she said.

The Community Action Partnership food bank is still at its same location in the Coeur d'Alene Industrial Park.

Kathy Cooper, volunteer at LCCC's food bank, said the gratitude can be overwhelming.

"They say, 'When things turn around, I'm going to give back,'" she said.