‘Feed the Need’ event feeds about 60,000 people

More than 60,000 people from Spokane to Boise will have meals thanks to some Moscow school children and local volunteers.

Homestead Ministries, begun less than three months ago by Tom Riedner of Genesee and Greg Nolan of Colfax, organized the food distribution with Logos Christian School in Moscow Oct. 16.

Riedner formerly worked for Storehouse which also distributed food, but decided to begin his own organization.

Students from kindergarten through 12th grade filled the school’s gym in the first “Feed the Need” event. A dozen tables accommodated bags, soup ingredients and labels.

“Regular people can make a difference,” Riedner said.

“They were happy helping poor people,” he said. “We prayed before, during and after.”

According to Riedner, the students filled 60,000 bags with three different kinds of soup – lentil, red bean and split pea. The lentils and peas came from local farms, but the red beans were shipped from Wisconsin, Riedner said.

“It went smooth,” Riedner said. “We had four trailers of food and two trailers went to the Moscow Food Bank,” Riedner said.

Another 1,000 soup bags went to Boise, 1,000 bags to Nez Perce and 8,000 distributed in Whitman and Latah counties. One bag feeds six people, according to Riedner.

“There’s a huge need here,” Nolan said. “One in six people in Idaho are hungry and one in five kids in Idaho go to bed hungry,” he said. “Whitman County in the outlying areas is not much different. This is an opportunity to help people out and to share.”

Volunteers also came from the Onecho Bible Church and Colton. Labels were provided at cost by Cougar Graphics in Colfax.

Costs of the bagged mixes are from 25 cents to $1 according to Riedner. PNW, Riedner’s current employer, also donated supplies.

“We want partners, not donors,” Riedner said. “We need helpers, people who will work shoulder to shoulder with us.”

“The day went fantastic,” Nolan said. “It was an answer to our prayers. The kids and volunteers had an absolute blast.”

“Every time we hit a goal, everyone cheered and clapped,” he said. “I think they enjoyed it because of the hands-on aspect. They felt much more a part of it.”

Homestead Ministries is a non-denominational faith-based volunteer organization that supports local agriculture and is dedicated to finding solutions to reduce hunger locally and regionally.

The organization’s desire is to help people feed their families by providing a delicious, nutritious, protein-based product for the less fortunate. Their intent is to feed all who are hungry so no one is turned away.

Nolan said more soup get-togethers are scheduled with University of Idaho and Washington State University students and the Dusty BB Club.

“We’re very grateful for the support of the community and businesses,” Nolan said. “It’s also an amazing outreach.”