A chance to give back: Trout Lake Farm holds food distribution
CASEY MCCARTHY | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 3 months AGO
Edie Torres, right, carries a pair of whole chickens to the next car pulling up the 2nd Harvest Mobile Market on Friday afternoon in front of Moore Furniture in Ephrata.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald
Martin Torres, right, loads items into the trunk of a car at the 2nd Harvest Mobile Market free food dispersal in Ephrata on Friday afternoon.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald
Denise Vogel, left, pulls some more items from the Mobile Market truck, while Jose Aguinaga Jr., right, carries items to the next person’s car at 2nd Harvest’s free food distribution in Ephrata, sponsored by Trout Lake Farm.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald
A community member stops for some small talk with 2nd Harvest Mobile Market Coordinator Todd Kennedy and Trout Lake Farm’s Martin Torres on Friday afternoon in Ephrata as she makes her way through the food distribution line.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald
Cars lined up down the parking lot and out into the street at times in front of Moore Furniture in Ephrata as community members came out for 2nd Harvest’s Mobile Market on Friday afternoon.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald
Trout Lake Farm employee Maria Rodriguez helps prepare items to give away at 2nd Harvest’s Mobile Market in Ephrata on Friday afternoon, sponsored by Trout Lake Farm.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald
EPHRATA — The line of cars wrapped around the parking lot out into the street in front of Moore Furniture on Basin Street Southwest in Ephrata on Friday afternoon for 2nd Harvest’s Mobile Market free food distribution.
Food boxes were prepared and distributed, featuring an assortment of both fresh and nonperishable items. Packages included boxes of bacon, chicken, fruits, vegetables, nutrition bars, milk, cheese and other products. In light of COVID-19, face masks and some other related items were distributed to families as well.
Trout Lake Farm of Ephrata sponsored 2nd Harvest’s Mobile Market event, providing most of the volunteers for the drive-thru on Friday afternoon as well. Martin Torres, operations manager with Trout Lake Farm, was handing out meals on Friday alongside many of his coworkers and employees.
Torres said upwards of 300 meals were distributed on Friday afternoon for families in the community.
“We continued serving food until 1:30 possibly, and we didn’t have anything left at that point,” Torres said. “We had a constant line. Our schedule was from 11 to one o’clock, but we literally just kept it going until we had no more items to pass out.”
Trout Lake Farm was purchased by Amway 14 years ago. Torres said his company has always put an emphasis on helping the community they were located in. Since building the facility near Quincy, Torres said, his company has carried that out locally.
“We’ve always had a big focus on helping people live better lives,” Torres said. “That’s one of the big models that we strive on, as far as the company is concerned, but also giving back to the community.”
He said they’ve been able to host different sorts of events throughout the years, and have been hosting events with 2nd Harvest for the past five years. With COVID-19 affecting so many people greatly, Torres said, holding an event like the Mobile Market is important “now more than ever.”
“It’s been a big help that we’re seeing that we’re able to provide for the community,” Torres said. “We’re grateful that the company believes in these type of services for the community, and I’m grateful to be a part of them, not only to live in the community, but to also help out the community.”
Reactions from people coming through the drive-thru on Friday afternoon in Ephrata were overwhelmingly positive.
“A lot of people were saying they were very grateful for what we were doing,” Torres said. “A lot of thanks, but nothing but positive stuff that people were saying as we handed out the food.”
While the Mobile Market is the first of the year in Ephrata, Torres said another is scheduled for Aug. 13, with another event planned down the road in November. Torres said there’s a rewarding feeling to being part of a company that’s willing to help out, and provide for, the community it’s in.
Casey McCarthy can be reached via email at cmcarthy@columbiabasinherald.com.
