Stolen donations did not stop Street Music Week from raising tens of thousands of dollars for 2nd Harvest

This year’s Street Music Week ended with almost $30,000 raised to help Second Harvest support hungry people in the Inland Northwest.

Kathy Hedgcock, Second Harvest senior leader, said there are persistent high consumer prices putting pressure on families, and one in eight people in both Spokane and North Idaho faces hunger.

The money raised from Street Music will be utilized immediately to help feed the community in need in Spokane and North Idaho, Hedgcock said.

Second Harvest primarily relies on private donations to cover the costs of securing and distributing the food donated to its mission, she said. The donations help with fuel and freight costs, as well as the ability to manage donated food supplies and ensure those resources get back into the community.

“You can imagine how honored we are at Second Harvest to be part of Street Music Week for the past 22 years,” Hedgcock said. “It’s a very special event and it brings incredible community generosity together to feed people in need, so we’re just really grateful.”

Street Music Week raised $29,976.62 with the help of the community, buskers and sponsors, said Corey Eyer, the event’s organizer. The total includes $5,000 contributed by the Ella Fitzgerald Foundation and a $2,000 match from a Garland business, Integrity Insurance Solutions.

One musician’s bucket was stolen during the event , but others in the area quickly made up the lost amount, Eyer said.

A busker was on a corner in downtown Spokane performing Friday when a man walked by, grabbed her donation bucket and started running, Eyer said. The man stole the money from the bucket and threw the container at the busker before running away. The musician estimated between $5 and $8 was stolen.

Eyer said he did not hear about the theft until the busker returned her bucket.

“There were other people who saw it happen and came and talked to her and made sure she was OK,” Eyer said. “When she came back, she had 20s in her bucket. They were very generous and filled her bucket back up before she started playing again.”

Eyer said it is not too late to add to the total amount of money raised. Donations can be made at 2-harvest.org/streetmusic.