SPANAWAY, Wash — A fire at Spanaway Food Bank Friday morning destroying food that would have provided more than 150 hungry families with free meals.
“It’s sickening,” said Spanaway Food Bank Director Harold Smith.
Smith stood in front of bags and boxes of food that had been burned, waterlogged, or suffered smoke damage during the fire.
“That stuff’s sitting there ready to go, and now it’s gone,” said Smith.
Instead of handing out grocery bags Friday afternoon, the food bank’s volunteers gave out slips with phone numbers of other food banks for clients.
“It’s devastating,” said Sarah, who didn’t want her last name published. “I don’t know what people are going to do now without it.”
Smith said the food bank would eventually rebuild and reopen.
"It's been here 40 years," said Smith, "It's [the fire] not going to shut us down."
Central Pierce Fire set up a donation link with the Emergency Food Network. All of the donations will go to the Spanaway Food Bank.