MOSES LAKE – The Community Services of Moses Lake is gearing up for the next holiday season while also preparing for uncertainty at the federal level.  

“Our tables have been full every day for the last two weeks. The lines of folks in need have been there to match the food we have,” Community Services of Moses Lake Operations Lead Jim Gantenbein said. “That will continue even if the SNAP benefits come in, which fingers crossed they do.”  

The federal government has been shut down for 34 days as of Monday. The funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was initially planned to be frozen because of the government shutdown, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However, as of 2 p.m. Monday, AP News reported SNAP will be partially funded, after two judges issued rulings requiring the program to continue. There is an emergency fund where around $4.65 billion will be used to fund SNAP. Normally, it costs about $8 billion per month nationally. This funding will provide half of the normal SNAP benefits for those who qualify.  

The food bank served 2,500 families and nearly 287,000 pounds of food in November. It receives food from local, state and federal donations, according to Gantenbein.  

“We are normally very busy. We have people lining up at 8 a.m. and we don’t even open up until 11 a.m.,” he said. “I don’t think people realize this is not only a food bank but a distribution center for 48 other food banks. We are one of the largest lead agencies in the state because we serve six different counties.”  

He explained that even though they export goods to other food banks, they try to keep all Moses Lake donations in Moses Lake.

“We keep our Moses Lake donations here, unless it’s like 20 pallets of french fries, we aren’t going to be able to hand that out before it goes bad, we share some of that with other communities,” he said.

He said one of the biggest needs for the food bank is donations for the Thanksgiving boxes they hand out.  

“Thanksgiving is coming up and that is a big food need time for folks,” he said. “We have this special thing that Peny (Archer) started, she ran the food bank for 25 years and it’s a Thanksgiving giveaway. We try to get as close to a complete Thanksgiving dinner as we can.”  

Gantenbein said they give each family a turkey dinner with all the fixings. Samaritan Hospital will be hosting a turkey drive for the food bank on Nov. 21.  

“We also need things that are warm and hearty,” Gantenbein said. “It’s getting colder out there, and we want people to stay warm and fed.”  

He said these include items such as canned soups, mac and cheese, Hamburger Helper, pasta packages and Spam.  

“We also need things that the kiddos can cook on their own,” he said. “Anything you can throw into the microwave is great for the kids and also the unsheltered population we serve.”  

Another large need is fresh fruits and vegetables.  

“Those go fast, every day,” he said. “We would love to be able to hand out more fresh produce to people.”  

Gantenbein said the process to use the food bank is pretty easy. 

“Come in, fill out a piece of paperwork; it might take you five minutes at most. We need your name and address, if you have one, and that’s about it, and then we will get you set up with food and send you on your way,” he said.  

Gantenbein said the community has been more than giving.  

“We had the PTA in Moses Lake drop off these birthday kits,” he said. “They have cake, candles, icing, all the things you need to celebrate a birthday. I think those will be a hit.”  

He also said they have local partnerships with businesses like Simplot, which donates hundreds of pounds of french fries to the food bank, monthly.  

“These are the McDonald’s french fries,” he said. “The really good fries and people seem to like them.”  

If people are unable to donate, but would still like to help the local food bank, he said they are always looking for volunteers. 

“If we are dealing with up to 400 people in one day, that's a lot of people coming in and out to get food and we have to keep those carts full and station people along to watch and help out when needed,” he said. “We have a lot of people walking through these doors that need walkers or are seniors; those people need a little extra help.”  

Local food banks 

Ephrata Food Bank
1010 A St. SE
Ephrata
509-754-5772
Monday 2 to 4 p.m.
Thursday 2 to 4 p.m.  

Mattawa Area Food Bank
23898 Rd. T.2 SW
Mattawa
509-832-2331
Saturday 1 to 4 p.m.  

Community Services of Moses Lake
9299 Beacon Rd. NE
Moses Lake
509-765-8101
Monday through Friday
11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.  

Othello Food Bank
949 E Main St.
Othello
509-488-6044
Mon., Tues. and Wed.
12 to 3 p.m.
Thursday
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.  

Quincy Community Food Bank
210 First Ave. SE
Quincy
Tuesday
9:30 a.m-12 p.m.
4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.
Friday
9:30 a.m.-12 p.m.  

Royal City Food Bank
229 Balsam St. NW
Royal City
509-346-2679
Tuesday
11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.  

Ritzville Food Pantry
104 W. Main Ave.
Ritzville
Thursday
2:30 to 4:30 p.m.  

Soap Lake Food Bank  
325 Main Ave. E
Soap Lake
509-246-0164
Tuesday
10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 

Warden Food Bank  
301 E 5th St.
Warden
Thursday
3:30 to 4:30 p.m. 

    The Community Services of Moses Lake food bank served 2,500 families and nearly 287,000 pounds of food in November. It receives food from local, state and federal donations, according to Gantenbein.