Market aims to restore dignity with free food distribution

By Robin Wojtanik for Senior Times

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 co-worker.

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 en- tire 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- uMARKET, Page 15

Former Senior Times reporter dies at age 69

Loretto Hulse of Pasco, a former Senior Times reporter, died March 12.

She was 69. She lived in the Tri-Cities for 54 years and was a retired reporter for the Tri-City Herald, where she worked for a total of 38 years.

She worked at the Senior Times and Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business from 2014-16.

Mueller’s Tri-Cities Funeral Home, Kennewick, is in charge of arrangements.

Learn about benefits of Medicare Advantage plan

Providence Medicare Advantage Plans will answer questions about the Medicare process and present the benefits of adding Medicare Advantage. Learn about the steps for transitioning into Medicare, especially for those eligible this year or those planning retirement.

The event is free and starts at 1 p.m. Monday, April 17 at the Richland Community Center. Call 509-344-

1360 for details. For accommodations for special needs, call 509-344-1360.

Richland store among luckiest places to buy winning lottery ticket

Where’s the luckiest place in the Tri-Cities to buy a lottery ticket?

Safeway at 1803 George Washington Way in Richland tops the Tri-City list with seven wins. Of the top 10 retailers in the region, Circle K was featured the most with three of its stores making the list, totaling 13 wins altogether.

Washington’s Lottery recently released its list of the Luckiest Retailers of 2022 showcasing retailers which sold the most winning tickets valued at $1,000 or more.

The top 10 luckiest retailers in the region are:

• Seven wins: Safeway at 1803 George Washington Way, Richland.

• Six wins: Yoke’s Fresh Market at 4905 N. Road 68, Pasco. Finished first in 2021 with 12 wins.

• Five wins: Fred Meyer at 2811 W. 10th Ave., Kennewick. Made the Top 10 list in both 2021 and 2020.

• Five wins: WinCo Foods at 101 Columbia Point Drive, Richland.

• Five wins: Circle K at 4823 Broadmoor Blvd., Pasco. Made the Top 10 list in both 2021 and 2020.

• Five wins: Yoke’s Fresh Market at

454 Keene Road, Richland.

• Five wins: 7-Eleven at 4313 W. Court St., Pasco.

• Four wins: Circle K at 1401 George Washington Way, Richland.

• Four wins: Circle K at 2105 W. Fourth Ave., Kennewick.

• Four wins: Mid-Columbia Grocery at 6409 W. Court St. in Pasco.

The luckiest retail location in the state? The Safeway store in Milton with 16 wins.

Walmart stores going bagless April 18

Walmart will stop providing plastic carryout bags at checkout or pickup at all its stores in the state for checkout and pickup beginning April 18.

The move is an effort to encourage customers to use reusable bags or containers and protect the environment.

As of October 2021, Washington state law banned single-use plastic bags citing that plastic bags are a major contaminant in the state’s recycling facilities, waterways, roadways and environment. The ban aims to reduce pollution by prohibiting singleuse plastic carryout bags and charging a fee for acceptable bags.

Plastic produce bags are exempt from the statewide ban.

Send a friend a goat to help nonprofit

The Wishing Star Foundation will be delivering baby goats for visits within the Tri-City community April 10-14.

A $75 donation to the nonprofit enables members of the community to have fun with unsuspecting friends, family or colleagues by having a real baby goat delivered to them on the day and time of their choice.

The recipient who has been “goated” will be asked to donate any amount to pay for the removal of the four-legged kid.

Anyone can sign up to deliver a goat, or they can buy $100 “goat insurance” to prevent a surprise visit by going to wishingstar.org/events/ goats.

Wishing Star provides wishes to children who are terminal or battling a life-threatening illness in Spokane, Tri-Cities and Kootenai counties.

Tickets on sale for new Umatilla music festival

Tickets are on sale for the Rock the Locks Music Festival in Umatilla, Oregon.

The three-day festival is held Oct. 6-8 at the Big River Golf Course, 709 Willamette St., in Umatilla.

The event will feature ZZ Top, Collective Soul and Night Ranger, along with rockers Hinder, original Queensryche vocalist Geoff Tate, Ozomatli, Everclear, Royal Bliss, Winger, David Cook, winner of season 7 of “American Idol,” and more.

Rock the Locks Music Festival is a three-day music festival bringing together thousands of music lovers to enjoy more than 25 bands on two stages.

There will be food and merchandise vendors, on-site camping, a general store and beer gardens.

General admission, camping and VIP tickets are on sale. Go to: rockthelocks.org

$1.3 million in improvements underway at new Joann store

More than $1 million in tenant improvements are underway for Joann’s new 29,400-square-foot store at Columbia Center mall in Kennewick.

The sewing and crafts retailer recently closed its former store on North Columbia Center Boulevard to move into a portion of the 160,000-square-foot hole Sears left behind when it closed its store in 2019 after its parent company filed for bankruptcy.

Joann’s new address is 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Suite 455.