The Moscow Food Co-op is doubling donations to local food banks throughout the month of December.

Until the end of the month, every household supply or nonperishable food item placed on the donation shelf at the co-op will be matched, pound for pound, with the same or a similar item before the donations are distributed to local food banks.

“It’s one of the cooperative principles to be concerned for your community,” said Carol Spurling, the Moscow Food Co-op outreach and membership coordinator. “In the store, all the time, we have a shelf where people can put their food donations for local food banks.” Spurling said she hopes the event will encourage more people to donate. The co-op wants to share what they can, she said.

“It’s a rough year for a lot of people in the community,” Spurling said. “But the co-op has had a good year because of loyal customers, and we want to give back to the community.” Store Manager Steve Kobs said the donation program started at the request of their customers. He said people wanted to be able to donate conveniently and easily at the co-op, but the co-op had no way to distribute any food they collected.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Palouse stepped in and volunteered to pick up the donations and distribute the items to local food banks, Kobs said.

He said the co-op intends to repeat the double donations project sometime in the spring. “One of the problems during the holidays is there’s reasonable donations in the holiday season, but then it kind of drops off,” Kobs said.

He said the co-op donation shelf offers people a year-round option for easy donating to local food banks. People need to know this opportunity to help the community is available at the Moscow Food Co-op, Kobs said.

“One of the motivations is to make people aware that the location is here,” he said. “We hope that it will improve the visibility of the donations here at the co-op.” Jordan Harris, a freshman neuroscience major, said the double donation idea sounds like a good way to encourage people to donate.

“I think people who would normally not donate will donate because they say, 'I’ve got this one can of food, but they’re doubling it, so that’s more for charity,’” she said.