Will adjust bones for beans

POST FALLS - Two Post Falls chiropractors worked for food Saturday.

And boy, did they earn a lot.

Try some 2,000 pounds of soup, pasta, jams, beans, sauces, canned vegetables and much more.

All of it is headed for the Post Falls Food Bank.

"The community's been pretty good to us," said Dr. Tim Grothman of Health Within Chiropractic Center. "We like to do something to give back to the community and our patients."

On Saturday, regular patients of Grothman and Dr. Bill Higgins received a free adjustment in exchange for $10 worth of food as part of the annual "Helping Other People Eat" drive.

More than 100 patients took advantage of the offer and had their necks, backs, hips, knees and ankles put back in their proper place.

They also filled the office of the Seltice Way center with bags and boxes of food. Many delivered more than what was asked.

"They come in and get the care they need, at the same time, we can help feed hungry people in Post Falls," Grothman said.

Chiropractic assistant Mindy Johnson said in the five hours the office was open, it was a steady stream of moms, dads, kids, couples and seniors on a day it's usually closed.

"People are just coming in, bringing in their food donation, we get them right back for their adjustment," she said.

It went well, she said. There was no paperwork for insurance or co-pays. Free juice, coffee, bagels and even grapes awaited clients.

On a normal day, Health Within Chiropractic Center might see 50-75 patients.

"It flows pretty smooth because we've been doing it so many years," she said.

Donating services to benefit nonprofits is something the center has been doing the past decade. It used to raise toys for Toys for Tots, but decided to focus on the food.

Eric Stone of Coeur d'Alene, sitting on a table in an office, said he appreciated the efforts of Grothman and Higgins to literally work for food instead of money.

"I think it's a wonderful, noble thing. These services are well needed," he said.

Grothman said he and Higgins were able to handle the faster pace on Saturday because both are longtime chiropractors familiar with their regular patients.

"We're moving pretty quick," he said. "We're getting our patients taken care of, we do what needs to be done."

There was one drawback.

"Not a whole lot of time for chitchat today," Grothman said, laughing.