Lavender donation honors late food bank director
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 1 month AGO
From left: Hank Dole, Lavender Ranch owner Joe Downs and Columbia Basin Herald advertising representative Velma Dunkin hold up bundles of lavender to be donated to the Moses Lake Food Bank Thursday. Because the food bank was closed, the donation was made in the Columbia Basin Herald’s office.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Each bundle of aromatic lavender donated by Lavender Ranch is labeled with a photo in memory of Moses Lake Food Bank Director Peny Archer, who passed away earlier this month.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | January 21, 2025 2:05 AM
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Food Bank received a different kind of donation Thursday.
Joe Downs, owner of Lavender Ranch near Quincy, donated 70 bundles of lavender to Community Services of Moses Lake in memory of Peny Archer, the food bank’s director who passed away earlier this month. Each bundle has a photo of Archer on it.
“Those people who (manage the food bank) touch so many lives that I thought, let me do up a little label with the picture and donate some bundles, and we'll go over there and hand them out,” Downs said. “So those people who were used to seeing Peny … will be able to have a bundle given to them with her picture on it, as a memento of the memories that they had.”
The lavender isn’t meant to be eaten; it’s a variety grown mostly for scent and longevity, Downs said.
“There's different ways to feed the soul,” Downs said. “Yes, sure, you’ve got to put food in there too. But the smell is relaxing (and) calming in the dead of winter. (It) brings a little bit of shine to the feelings.”
Because the food bank was closed Thursday, Archer’s husband Rich Archer came to the Columbia Basin Herald office to collect the lavender.
This is Lavender Ranch’s first donation to the Moses Lake Food Bank, although the farm has supported other local causes, Downs said. He didn’t know Peny Archer personally, he added but he was aware of the impact she had.
“It’s just an opportunity to remember a community member who went above and beyond,” he said.
Each bundle of aromatic lavender donated by Lavender Ranch is labeled with a photo in memory of Moses Lake Food Bank Director Peny Archer, who passed away earlier this month.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Space Burger booth open March 13-15
MOSES LAKE — Those who can’t wait for the Grant County Fair can get their Space Burger fix next weekend, according to an announcement from the Lioness Club of Moses Lake. The iconic Grant County sandwiches will be available at the Grant County Fairgrounds March 13-15, according to the announcement. There is no admission fee to get into the fairgrounds that weekend.
SENIOR EVENTS: March 2026
COLUMBIA BASIN — Plays, art shows, auctions and more await seniors in the Columbia Basin this month. Here are some opportunities to get out and about in March.
Valentine’s Day cards flood Brookdale Hearthstone with love
MOSES LAKE — Residents at Brookdale Hearthstone Assisted Living in Moses Lake got Valentine’s Day greetings from across the country last month. “I believe that the only states we have not received (cards from) yet are Vermont and Maine,” Lifestyle Director Imelda Broyles said Feb. 24. “We keep receiving new cards every single day. They have not stopped. My residents are in awe with every single one of the cards that we’ve been receiving.” The Hearts Across America project started as a way for children in school classrooms to exchange Valentine’s Day cards with classes in other states or even countries, but the idea has expanded to senior living facilities, according to the project’s social media.