Oct. 11, 2016
CWU Renews Agreement with APOYO Food and Clothing Bank
A new agreement between Central Washington University and the community organization APOYO will expand space for the food and clothing bank. For many years, Allied People Offering Year Round Outreach (APOYO) has provided services from within CWU’s Old Heat steam plant, mothballed since 1979 and due for renovation over the next 18 months.
CWU President James L Gaudino said moving APOYO to a house on Brooklane will give the food bank more space with a kitchen, storage containers, disability accessibility, and drive-up parking on a convenient transportation route.
“This agreement is a win-win-win,” Gaudino said. “It protects our community members who rely on the valuable services APOYO provides. It maintains the hands-on learning and volunteer opportunities available to our students. And it preserves a long-standing partnership between CWU and APOYO.”
Students engage with APOYO through the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement. Last year, student fellows in the Chavez-King Leadership Institute for Social Change — a program of the CLCE — helped assemble boxes of food, ran a clothing drive, and did community outreach. APOYO presented student workshops about Latino migration in Washington, and supporting local Hispanic communities.
In the previous use agreement, APOYO was allotted 725 square feet in Old Heat. Under the new agreement, APOYO has use of the 1,140-square-foot Brooklane house, plus two storage containers, for a total of 1,780 square feet.
Work to turn Old Heat into a welcome center is scheduled to begin this month. After distributing food and clothing on October 15, APOYO will suspend operations for three and a half weeks while the Brooklane house is prepared for occupancy.
Media contact: Barb Arnott, CWU Public Affairs, 963-2841, Barb.Arnott@cwu.edu
October 11, 2016