Author: Hilary O’Neill

Volunteers of America (VOA) is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1896 by Ballington and Maud Booth in New York; Ballington’s parents founded the Salvation Army. VOA came to Eastern Washington three years later—in fact, it was one of their very first affiliate chapters. The new chapter was incredibly popular in the Spokane area, having set up shop in an area of downtown that no longer exists, the Imperial Block. Today they operate 16 programs in Spokane, three of which receive food support through Second Harvest. Their facilities include housing for veterans, temporary shelters and permanent supportive housing.

VOA’s partnership with Second Harvest is an essential part of the services offered at their locations: Hope House, Hope House Apartments and The Marilee Apartments. While Volunteers of America provides support through social services and case management, Second Harvest focuses on providing food that is distributed daily as meals and groceries to their clients.

Second Harvest provides food for the kitchen at Hope House so they can offer three meals a day for up to 100 women staying at the shelter. Above the shelter are the Hope House Apartments; over 100 one-room apartments with individual kitchens, giving residents the ability to have control of their meals and diets, while still having access to social services on-site.

The Marilee Apartments, which provide permanent supportive housing, also receive food through Second Harvest to ensure that residents have access to groceries, despite the lack of nearby markets.

Second Harvest truly believes in our mission to serve people facing hunger, much like Volunteers of America is devoted to ending homelessness by uplifting people and meeting needs. Strong partnerships, like ours with VOA, are the best way to care for those who need it.

To learn more about Volunteers of America Spokane, please visit: https://www.voaspokane.org/