Spokane Valley Partners holds drive-thru holiday meal, gifts giveaway for restaurant owners

Seemingly wherever Cal Coblentz visits, a line of vehicles tends to follow.

Coblentz is the CEO of Spokane Valley Partners, a nonprofit providing a community food bank and family services. He joined a handful of volunteers at Longhorn Barbecue in Spokane Valley last Friday to distribute ready-made hams and gift cards to 100 workers of restaurants closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Spokane Valley Partners has been hosting drive-thru food distribution events regularly for those in need throughout the community, and the organization’s final scheduled event of the year was is Mondayfrom 1-3 p.m. at Valley Mission Park. Coblentz was spurred to action to help local restaurants when he learned Washington was facing another shutdown as state and local officials tried to rein in rising COVID-19 case counts.

“It just broke my heart, and I immediately thought of the restaurant industry,” Coblentz said. “I got our team together and asked if we can do something. I wanted to give back. Restaurants usually support our mission of helping people in need.”

Spokane Valley Partners handed out 100 care packages Friday, and dozens of cars passed through a makeshift drive-thru in the Longhorn parking lot. A $100 Visa gift card was included, as well as a $100 Safeway gift card provided by Northwest Harvest and hams and side dishes provided by Second Harvest. Avista customers also received certificates to be spent on utility bills.

Restaurants in the giveaway included Dave’s Bar and Grill, Corner Club, Twigs, Denny’s, Goodtymes Grill, Hops and Drop, Iron Horse Bar and Grill, Jenny’s Cafe, Monkey Bar, The Stupid Cow Cafe and more.

“This is really great,” said Susie Olsen, manager at Dave’s Bar and Grill in Spokane Valley. “All of our employees have always helped out, and now we’re the ones in line in the pandemic. But our fingers are crossed. We hope Jan. 4 is the day we reopen.”

Olsen said Dave’s employs 20 people when it is open for business, and she was helping a few of them by picking up food and gift cards to deliver.

Jon Brown is part of the ownership family that operates Ruins, a restaurant and cocktail bar located at 825 N. Monroe St. He empathized with restaurant workers now out of work and noted owners aren’t collecting paychecks either.

“For everyone in the industry right now it’s like you’re just trying to stay on the lifeboat,” Brown said. “We laid off 40-odd people in the spring, and many of them are still laid off. Hopefully, this time next year we can hire them all back and then some.”

Brown said Ruins changes its menu frequently, a trait that proved troublesome as the restaurant alternated to takeout fare.

“We’re experience-based where the whole point of coming to our restaurant is to have the experience of dining out, hear the shaking of cocktails, feel the warmth of the environment,” Brown said. “We didn’t have any ideas about how to prepare or package our food as takeout. And with takeout foods, not everything is takeout-friendly.

“It took a while to pivot. Having to reimagine your business on the fly is a challenge even in the best of times.”

Coblentz remains concerned about the weeks that lie ahead.

“It’s just stressful,” he said. “It’s because I understand this is just the beginning, and there is a bigger wave that will hit next year when the undergirdings of support get flooded. I’m terrified when the moratorium on evictions is lifted. It’s like 40% of renters are behind at least one month. There is no place to help these people.”

Coblentz assured, however, that Spokane Valley Partners and other nonprofits are available to provide what they can.

“The community has really found the most glaring needs and attacked them with all the resources we have,” he said. “The nonprofits really are working together more than ever.”