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PTK to the rescue

by DEVIN HEILMAN/dheilman@cdapress.com
| August 2, 2014 9:00 PM

COEUR d'ALENE - The community is coming together to answer the Community Action Partnership Food Bank's call for help.

Food bank manager Carolyn Shewfelt said more than 1,600 pounds of food have been donated since The Press published an article Thursday regarding the bare shelves and low amount of food in the food bank.

"That is fabulous," Shewfelt said. "It's been really a huge help."

She said the food bank gives out about 100 food boxes a day, each weighing about 30 pounds. Community Action has also received some monetary donations in the last few days.

"It's really good. You don't cry 'wolf' unless you have a wolf in the building, and it was our time to cry 'wolf,'" she said. "We live in such a great community."

North Idaho College's Honor Society, Phi Theta Kappa, is one group which was moved to action.

Members of PTK will be collecting non-perishable food items as they conduct an emergency food drive in front of the Edminster Student Union Building on the NIC campus during Art on the Green from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

In response to the article, PTK members immediately went to work to help rectify the situation.

Lisa Harman, a food bank volunteer and PTK fellowship officer, said the honor society met Thursday, discussed the article and leapt into planning mode.

"We've been running on high gear," Harman said Friday morning.

PTK, with assistance from NIC's sociology club, will be collecting items such as canned goods, pasta, rice and cereals and high-protein foods such as peanut butter, canned meats and beans. Harman said there is a need for dog and cat food as well as necessities such as toilet paper.

"If you have extra garden produce, we would be very grateful for it this time of year," she said, adding that people can bring produce directly to the food bank Monday to maintain freshness.

Harman said she recently visited the food bank and was astonished to see the shelves so bare.

"I have never seen the whole room empty, literally," she said. "Nothing. It was empty."

PTK will be selling water and also accepting monetary donations for the food bank.

"We're going to be thrilled with whatever we get," she said. "We would love to show the people in our community we care about them."