FOOD & BEVERAGE Market aims to restore dignity with free food distribution

By Robin Wojtanik for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

There seems to be no coincidence between a family whose last name is “Sparks,” and the way they have set ablaze a full-time lifestyle of impacting the community.

From churning out 200 cloth masks a day during the start of the pandemic to offering drive-thru food box pickups, the family’s most recent venture is a food bank designed to take the shame out of receiving assistance.

Marlando and Stephanie Sparks opened Restoration Market through their nonprofit, Restoration Community Impact, in an unassuming Kennewick building near a paint store and a car wash at 4000 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite 110.

At first glance, you’d think they’re serving espresso under a chandelier, as the entryway features modern furnishings and the smell of brewed coffee.

“I’m a very sensory person,” Marlando said. “And if it doesn’t smell good or feel good, I won’t even go, no matter what it is. And when you walk in here, to me, I can see my wife shopping here.”

The modest market lies beyond the entryway, inviting “members” to take what they need for themselves or their family once a week at no cost, with a transaction only including an assigned barcode.

Serving those in need

Food and household donations come from a range of partners, including Northwest Harvest, EastWest Food Rescue, Cascadia Produce, Big Lots, Simplot, Charlie’s Produce, Lamb Weston, local grocers, and the state Department of Agriculture, just to name a few.

It’s a mix of deliveries or pickups by Restoration Market to get the food and supplies to their shelves. Since opening in late January, the Sparks calculated a wide-ranging impact in just the first few weeks.

“We ran a report that said we serviced 860 households in that time,” Marlando said. “Most of those houses are not five people, they’re like seven to eight people, so when we did the calculations, it was 54,000 pounds of food in three weeks, which helped tens of thousands of families.”

Marlando’s mother volunteers at the market, greeting shoppers with the knowledge her son’s vision will extend beyond this storefront.

“This isn’t it. It’s going to be more than this and bigger than this,” Sharon Sparks said. “There’s no limit. He spoke it, and I knew it was going to happen because it was something God had put on his heart.”

No documentation required

The nonprofit is not faith-based so it’s eligible for federal and state funding and it doesn’t require any specific documentation or income requirement to assist its members. The Sparks figure if people are here, they have a need, and they want to help.

“It makes it all worth it when the families come here,” Stephanie said. “The kids have smiles on their faces when they see fruit or the chips, and that’s just breaking that poverty mindset. They don’t even know their parents aren’t paying for it.”

A shopper from Richland who stopped by on a recent weekday evening said she learned about the market from a coworker.

Karolynn, who asked her full name not be used, said she falls into that category often referred to as the “working poor,” where she makes too much money to qualify for assistance, but needs the extra help to get by.

“I would occasionally go to the food bank, but it’s hard to get there during the workday, so this is convenient. Coming here is also so calming. I don’t feel stressed or judged and it gives me hope,” she said.

The market’s members are registered into a database for Restoration Community Impact to use for its reports on grants or state funding, but phone numbers are kept in case a large donation arrives and must be distributed quickly.

This happened recently with an entire truckload of potatoes. The familyrun market had the ability to text all its members to hurry over and receive bags of potatoes as there was nowhere on site to store them.

The items available at Restoration Market vary week to week based on donations and everything is checked daily to be sure it’s still of high quality.

“If we wouldn’t feed it to our family, it doesn’t go out,” Marlando said. But it doesn’t get tossed, either. The couple have connections with local farmers who pick up the bruised apples or browning bananas to feed to their livestock, resulting in little food waste.

There are refrigerated items with fresh produce and dairy products, including eggs, which have become both a scarcity and a luxury for many consumers following recent supply issues.

Tastefully painted signs display the quantity of each item a shopper may take during a weekly visit. If there’s a surplus on, say, turnips, a family may be invited to take as many as they want.

Making a difference

On average, the Sparks say most members leave with three bags totaling about 60 pounds of food.

It’s a big increase and an even bigger impact than what the Sparks first saw when they started setting up drive-thru food pickups through the USDA Farmers to Families program established during the pandemic.

During those events, recipients left with a box containing 20 pounds of items. But the demand often outpaced the donations and in the weeks between distribution events, the Sparks started ordering pizzas to be sent to families through a charity arm of DoorDash.

Both impacts left room for improvement, as pizzas weren’t a long-term solution and the box distribution meant people might receive items they weren’t likely to use or cook with. But the Sparks had built a connection with the community and felt rewarded by what they were doing, with a dream they could impact even more.

It took almost a year from start to finish to plan and open the doors of Restoration Market.

Restoration Community Impact received a $100,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Agriculture through its Food Assistance Resiliency Grants, allowing it to staff, operate and establish the food hub, which offers parking for about 20 vehicles.

Its location was also key, thanks to the building’s owner, George Ahearn of uMARKET, Page A31