Food drive, coffee event helps food bank restock shelves
CAROLYN BOSTICK | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 weeks, 1 day AGO
Chris Peterson of Reliable Towing drops off food to support families through the 3rd Avenue Marketplace. North Idaho Arms hosted a joint food drive and coffee with Sheriff Bob Norris event Thursday, with refreshments provided by Kaffee Meister and La Tea Day.
CAROLYN BOSTICK/Press
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris carries a box of groceries into North Idaho Arms Thursday during an event combining coffee with the sheriff and a food drive for the 3rd Avenue Marketplace.
Chief Robert Matue of the Mica Kidd Island Fire District pushes a cart full of food to donate for the 3rd Avenue Marketplace Thursday at North Idaho Arms.
Charlene Holbrook and Mel Larson place donated groceries into a cart Thursday at North Idaho Arms.
Charlene Holbrook shows the meats collected at the coffee with the sheriff food drive event at North Idaho Arms.
Nate Norris wheels in a cart laden with food for the 3rd Avenue Marketplace Thursday at North Idaho Arms.
Carolyn Bostick has worked for the Coeur d’Alene Press since June 2023. She covers Shoshone County and Coeur d'Alene. Carolyn previously worked in Utica, New York at the Observer-Dispatch for almost seven years before briefly working at The Inquirer and Mirror in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Since she moved to the Pacific Northwest from upstate New York in 2021, she's performed with the Spokane Shakespeare Society for three summers. | November 14, 2025 1:09 AM
POST FALLS — Rather than fill their grocery carts inside the store Thursday at North Idaho Arms, guests brought in carts of food destined for the 3rd Avenue Marketplace.
After sharing their donating items for a food drive, people gravitated toward coffee and doughnuts from Kaffee Meister and La Tea Da for coffee with Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris.
Executive Director Charlene Holbrook said this time of year is always the busiest for the marketplace, but with the government shutdown affecting people’s food security, she said the community has been responding to the increased need with vigor.
“A few weeks ago, our shelves were empty and I was starting to worry, but people have been more aware and we’ve been so grateful. Stuff has been flying off the shelves,” Holbrook said.
On Oct. 27, the number of families helped by the Marketplace reached the highest number yet at 158. Prior to that, the highest number of families had been 136 in a single day.
Since then, the number of individuals using the 3rd Avenue Marketplace has stabilized, but people who were able to stop using services in the past have been re-registering for support.
“The community has been so supportive and people are panicked right now,” Holbrook said.
Offering the space to host the food drive to collect proteins and nonperishables for the community was an opportunity Bryan Zielinski of North Idaho Arms embraced with gusto.
Seeing the boxes and carts fill up around the store with food for others was exciting as the morning wore on.
“There has always been a need and one of the things I’ve always loved about North Idaho is there have always been self-reliant people ready to help others,” Zielinski said.
Norris was happy to see the support for a “culture of caring” in North Idaho.
“We’re trying into bring in a whole culture of holiday spirit,” Norris said.
Mica Kidd Island Fire District Chief Robert Matue collected supplies to donate to help feed North Idaho people.
“This is a good thing they’re doing here,” Matue said.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris carries a box of groceries into North Idaho Arms Thursday during an event combining coffee with the sheriff and a food drive for the 3rd Avenue Marketplace.
Chief Robert Matue of the Mica Kidd Island Fire District pushes a cart full of food to donate for the 3rd Avenue Marketplace Thursday at North Idaho Arms.
Charlene Holbrook and Mel Larson place donated groceries into a cart Thursday at North Idaho Arms.
Charlene Holbrook shows meats collected at the coffee with the sheriff food drive event at North Idaho Arms.
Nate Norris wheels in a cart laden with food for the 3rd Avenue Marketplace Thursday at North Idaho Arms.ARTICLES BY CAROLYN BOSTICK
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