Support for Kettle Falls Food Bank continues after 20 years | Community Spirit

About 20-years-ago, KXLY did a story about the financial turmoil of the Kettle Falls Food Bank. The president of the food bank’s board, Bob Esvelt, called the station last week to jog our memories of the story. Unfortunately, there are not many people staffed in the newsroom that were around back then.

We searched through our script archives to find this story. On February 2nd, 1992, reporter Dina Napoli visited the food bank to learn how the city volunteered the pay the food bank’s rent. That action saved the program.

No video exists in our archives of this story. Unlike print publications which have an uncanny archival system especially at local libraries, television lacks the ability to store years and years of tapes. Sometimes the equipment it takes to play older tapes gets sold off and then you’re stuck with a tape that won’t play on anything.

In any case, this story happened and somebody remembered. Esvelt says The Panhandle Riders Motorcycle Club out of Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene has road tripped to Kettle Falls every year since that story aired to bring donations of food and money. On Saturday, April 28th, it’s their 20th year making the trip and they’re trying to make it special.

The motorcycle club is arriving in town around noon. Esvelt hopes local law enforcement will escort the group into town to greet them.

This 20-year anniversary of the food bank’s revival comes at a good time. The food bank is in the middle of a major remodel to improve the program. The days of struggling to pay rent is now behind them. Esvelt says they’re now purchasing their current building.

Since there’s no video of the story, here’s the script we pulled out of our archives. The script in all caps is the voice over from the reporter. The text in lower case with proper capitalization are the quotes of those interviewed.

5PM/2-13-92 | P-KF-FOOD | 3466

((JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO, THE KETTLE FALLS FOOD BANK ALMOST HAD TO CLOSE DOWN. THERE SIMPLY WASN'T ENOUGH MONEY. SO THE CITY VOLUNTEERED TO PAY THE MONTHLY RENT... BASICALLY SAVING THE PROGRAM. DONATIONS TWICE A WEEK FROM SAFEWAY KEEP IT GOING STRONG.

It's perfectly good...goes for a good cause. I need it, the bread and stuff I really need it.

THE FOOD BANK LIVES ON A BUDGET ABOUT THE SIZE OF AN AVERAGE FAMILY'S FOOD BUDGET ... 33-HUNDRED DOLLARS A YEAR. BUT THE AGENCY SERVES THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE EVERY YEAR... NOT JUST THE TOWN OF KETTLE FALLS.. BUT AS FAR NORTH AS THE CANADIAN BORDER, AND SOUTH TO COLVILLE.

It's important...we do live a ways out of town and it's impossible for us if we don't have something to fall back on and that helps us through.

ORGANIZERS SAY THERE ARE ABOUT 25 PERCENT MORE CLIENTS THAN A YEAR AGO...

When you start looking at your food boxes and people in need going up and the grants and things going down it makes it rough it really does... where do you draw from?

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CUT 200-DOLLARS FROM THE FOOD BANK'S ANNUAL BUDGET THIS YEAR...FORCING ORGANIZERS HERE TO BE EVEN MORE PENNY-WISE... VOLUNTEERS GRIND FLOUR TO MAKE IT GO THAT MUCH FARTHER. AND WHILE THEY STRETCH THE FLOUR AND STOCK THE SHELVES... THEY HOPE FEDERAL MONEY WON'T GO OUT THE DOOR AS FAST AS THE FOOD DOES.

Hello... sure does help... Thank you, take care...bye, bye.

IN KETTLE FALLS, DINA NAPOLI, NEWS FOUR.))