Stories in this Regional News Roundup are excerpted from weekly newspapers from around the region. This is part two, with part one having appeared in Saturday’s Tribune.
ENDICOTT — The Endicott Food Pantry had its grand reopening Aug. 29 after it changed its service from bagged groceries to a “shopping model” of pantry distribution.
Paige Collins has made a push for pantries in the area to switch to a shopping model because it is a much more dignified way to serve those who need food.
Years ago, Collins helped the Community Action Center in Pullman adopt the same system, and the Colfax Pantry is an example of how this is done. Families in need have very little choice as to how they access services and how they fill basic needs; that is why it’s nice to make using the food pantry as much like “regular” grocery shopping as possible. This shopping model also allows for less waste and is more efficient.
The Endicott pantry serves the community on the fourth Thursday of every month from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Seventh-day Adventist Church on Banta Street.
— Whitman County Gazette (Colfax), Thursday
McCall City Hall citizen friendly following makeover
McCALL — They say you can’t fight city hall, but at least the city of McCall is providing a more pleasant setting.
A $190,000 remodel has been completed to make McCall City Hall more accessible and efficient for the public as well as employees.
The remodeled front lobby of the downtown building includes a new front desk that is accessible for the disabled.
The lobby also provides a desk for city staff to assist businesses with questions about collections of the city’s local-option taxes.
Citizens will now be able to meet face-to-face with McCall City Council members in a new office designated for use by the council, McCall Communications Manager Erin Greaves said.
Other city officials also have more office space to accommodate meetings with the public, Greaves said.
A new service counter dedicated to building permit applications will enable city staff to more easily review plans with developers and efficiently process applications, she said.
A new city staff break room will double as a backup meeting room for city committees and other groups when the main meeting room in the building’s lower level is in use, Greaves said.
— Drew Dodson, The Star-News (McCall), Thursday
