Longtime donor buys new kitchen for expanding Meals on Wheels

Valley Meals on Wheels has been using a donated church kitchen since January to feed Spokane County seniors. Now, thanks to a generous donor, the organization has a kitchen filled with equipment to call home.

It’s a far cry from the organization’s previous role of delivering meals to seniors’ homes in Spokane Valley.

“It’s an amazing difference,” said director Pam Almeida. “It was a huge step.”

The new chef and kitchen staff now make about 400 meals a day. They serve hot meals at 13 sites in Spokane County, mostly at senior centers and churches, and deliver meals to Spokane Valley homes. The number of meals can fluctuate on a daily basis. “Even since January, we’re seeing a trend of increases,” she said.

The organization’s new site is at 218 N. Crestline St., the former home of Aramark, which had the contract to provide meals. When the business canceled its contract, Valley Meals on Wheels won the bid to take over the contract. A longtime donor bought the building and negotiated to keep the kitchen equipment, Almeida said. “He’s renting it to us at below market rate,” she said.

She found her chef in Jerri Horton, a site director. “Jerri is making a lot of things from scratch,” Almeida said. “Before it was a lot of processed foods. She makes her own mashed potatoes. They’re better than I do at home.”

The menus have been redone, and the senior centers have two menus to choose from daily. The second option includes lighter fare, like wraps and salads.

“Daily I have people saying how much better it is,” Almeida said. “The portions are larger. The food is better.”

Horton, who ran Jerri’s Lunchbox on Trent Avenue for seven years, said she was ready to go back into the kitchen. “I took two years off,” she said. “I just thought it was right, what I wanted to do. It just fit. I love it.”

Getting to this point has been a long journey, much of it marked by frantic fundraising as Valley Meals on Wheels attempted to expand from meal deliverer to meal provider. Donations of cash and equipment seemed to come in at just the right times, Almeida said.

The kitchen boasts a 25-gallon soup kettle, steam ovens for preparing rice and vegetables, convection ovens and a huge tilt griddle. “This is one of the most used pieces of equipment,” Almeida said. “She uses it for a lot of different things from sautés to casseroles.”

One piece of equipment that still needs to be replaced is an ancient-looking six-burner stove tucked behind the shinier, new equipment. The organization received a $25,000 stove donatation, but it requires three-phase electricity. “If we brought it to the building, it would blow everything else out,” she said.

It’s frustrating to have such equipment that can’t be used, Almeida said. “It’s like having a Cadillac in the driveway with no gas,” she said. The plan now is to sell the stove and use the proceeds to buy a different stove that is compatible with the power available in the building.

Now that most of the large equipment has been accounted for, Almeida is looking for donations of kitchenware like mixers, bread pans and serving utensils. Volunteers are needed for everything from sweeping floors to washing dishes. Almeida is also looking for someone to help maintain the building.

Valley Meals on Wheels also is accepting food donations. “Jerri is great at figuring out how to use stuff,” she said. “She’s so innovative.”