SANDPOINT — Christ Our Redeemer and 2nd Harvest are teaming up to bring food to those left hungry as the novel coronavirus pandemic ravages the globe.

“We truly want to help feed our neighbors through this crazy time,” Kessin Drews, Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church office manager, told the Daily Bee.

The event, which is open to everyone with no income or documentation required, will be held Tuesday, April 7, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. or until supplies run out. It will be held in the church’s parking lot, rain or shine. Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church is located at 1900 Pine St., across the street from the YMCA.

The Sandpoint church has held food drives in partnership with 2nd Harvest on a regular basis for the past 10 years. However when Washington state issued its stay-at-home, the Spokane nonprofit “really stepped up to help the communities that they serve have access to nutritious foods,” Drews said.

A member of the 2nd Harvest team reached out to Christ Our Redeemer and asked if the church would be willing to partner for a rural distribution. Normally, a church or hosting organization pays $2,000 and provides volunteers to sponsor an event. However, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic upheaval, 2nd Harvest provided a scholarship of the full cost of the event to help the church hold the emergency food distribution event quickly without having to spend the time raising the funds first.

“I actually received the email at home and dropped everything to head directly to the office to discuss it with our pastor and congregation president who both gave immediate approval,” she said. “I think maybe 20 minutes total passed between receiving the email and submitting the application for the event. We were incredibly eager to bring this help to our neighbors in the current crisis.”

Additional safety steps are being taken by both staff and volunteers to ensure the risk is minimal to all who attend. Unlike previous distributions, there will not be any lines allowed to form. Recipients also will not be asked to sign in or show any documentation. They simply need to show up to receive the groceries. “We have instituted elevated sanitizing procedures at mobile markets,” Emily Kanally, senior vice president of nutrition education with 2nd Harvest said.

Among the steps being taken are increased sanitizing of high touch surfaces and mandatory hand sanitizing for volunteers and clients attending mobile market events. "These are adopted to prevent virus transmission while feeding our neighbors. We take our role of serving vulnerable people seriously and we are committed to our mission to get nutritious food to all children, families and seniors who need it," she said.

The quick turnaround between deciding to hold the event and the actual event isn’t the hard part of putting the mobile market together, those involved said. Instead, it’s spreading the word during a time of social distancing.

“Getting the word out quickly to those who need it most is our biggest challenge with working on a reduced timeline,” Drews said. “Normally we can put up posters at several locations that serve the individuals most in need, however with so many organizations closed, we worry people won’t hear about it in time.”

For this particular distribution, each family will receive two chubs of ground beef, eggs, produce, oatmeal, and possibly more. “With such a large need across the region, the items can change.”

Normally guests are asked to bring a box to select the items they would like from several tables of options. However, in an effort to event contamination and to comply with social distancing requirements, under the revised format, each guest or family receiving the same pre-bagged groceries until items run out. The event should be able to serve at least 250 households, Drews said.

Like others in the community, Christ Our Redeemer has moved its worship online and closed Little Lambs Preschool & Kindergarten to keep families and staff as safe as possible.

“We hear stories daily of how life looks completely different for people than it did just a few short weeks ago,” she said. “We hear of physically vulnerable individuals who can’t leave their home, or those who care for them having to take extreme precautions. We hear frustrations as people have to close their businesses they have devoted decades of their lives to without certainty they will reopen. We hear sadness from those who were close to retirement and now see that date pushing further out as their savings are whisked away. We hear of young children who miss their teachers and draw and mail them pictures to say hello.”

“But we also hear very inspiring stories, of those who are coming closer together during this time. Families who are gathering to watch their pastor on Sunday morning in their living rooms since they can’t journey to our sanctuary. Neighbors helping neighbors who have run out of toilet paper or can’t pick up their prescription. It’s been really beautiful to see the best in people come out during this time of uncertainty.”

Drews said the church — and others working to help the community — want those in need to know programs are still there to help them.

“While doors may be closed, people across Bonner County are really stepping up to the plate,” she added. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Whether that help is getting food on the table for your family, someone to pick up your prescriptions, or just a kind word in this time of isolation — reach out.”

Depending on the turnout, Drews said Christ Our Redeemer and 2nd Harvest would to bring additional food distributions to our area during the stay-home order, with two additional distributions planned for the summer.

“If there is a need, we want to fill it as best we can,” she added.

Information: Christ Our Redeemer, 208-263-7516

Caroline Lobsinger can be reached by email at clobsinger@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @CarolDailyBee.