Katie's Story

Katie, the mom of an 8-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son, has been out of work since last fall. She had just completed college and was working as a paid electrical apprentice when layoffs hit. Some 60 apprentices lost their jobs, Katie said, adding, “Nobody is working.”

The family faced further hardship when her husband, Scott, who has worked for 20 years as a plasterer, suffered a rotator cuff injury that requires surgery. Without medical insurance, the family can’t afford the care that’s necessary to mend his arm.

Early this spring, a Mobile Food Bank was held at Trentwood Elementary School in Spokane Valley. Students arrived with their siblings and parents for a fun-filled evening of crafts, prizes, games, books and birthday cake hosted by educators wearing costumes from Dr. Seuss' famous children's books. While the kids had fun, cheerleaders from East Valley High School helped bag up and hand food to families, many who had lost jobs in the construction sector and had never received food assistance before.

Second Harvest's Mobile Food Bank, which was held in partnership with Washington State University Spokane County Extension, provided 3,217 pounds of food.  The event helped 367 family members, including Katie’s. Families received a mix of fresh apples, potatoes, yogurt, juice, bread, frozen sweet potato French fries and other food to improve their diets and give them the means to shift a few grocery dollars to pay for other essential living expenses.

Katie’s family is one of many who’ve been impacted by the recession. In February, Spokane County’s unemployment rate climbed to 11.2 percent and 26,740 workers were searching for jobs. Construction is one of many industries that have suffered heavy job losses during this recession.

In an effort to stay afloat, Katie’s family went through their savings, cashed in an IRA and used a tax return to pay for the next two months of rent. Their future is tied to job openings and resolving her husband’s injury.

“We’re just hoping that work picks up soon so I can get back to work,” Katie said.

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