There is a free lunch, and it’s pretty good

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

The notion of a “free lunch” stretches far back into U.S. history. 

At one point, the “free lunch” was a common tradition at saloons across the nation. Patrons who purchased at least one drink were often treated to a spread of food, which was usually high in salt to encourage more beer-drinking. 

Rudyard Kipling wrote in 1891 that he had come, “upon a bar-room full of bad Salon pictures, in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the ‘free lunch’ I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt.”

As it happens, after the “free lunch” phenomenon came the saying, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” meaning there’s always something attached — even if it’s supposedly free.

In Robert Heinlein’s novel The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, he wrote about the acronym TANSTAAFL, or, “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch,” otherwise, “these drinks would cost half as much. … [A]nything free costs twice as much in the long run or turns out worthless.”

Well, I’m here to say there is a free lunch in Sandpoint, and it’s pretty darn good.

To say it has become more expensive to live in Sandpoint is the understatement of the decade. With home prices and rents increasing across the board, a competitive housing market often manipulated by out-of-town buyers paying cash for properties sight unseen and a shrinking population of locals struggling to make ends meet, Sandpoint isn’t always the paradise you read about in the tourist brochures. There are real people here who aren’t on vacation. Instead, they’re struggling to survive and provide for their families.

There is some help. As far back as I can remember, there are places that serve free lunch almost every day of the week, no strings attached. It’s just one of the many quiet ways local nonprofit organizations, churches and businesses are always looking out for those in need.

In that light, here is a schedule of the weekly free lunches offered around greater Sandpoint. Special thanks to all the organizations and businesses that offer these lifelines to our community.

Also, if someone you love is experiencing food insecurity, know that there are options. The Community Resource Envision Center is one of many resources to help those in need match up with organizations that can help. Call 208-920-1840 or email [email protected] for more info.

Mondays

• 4-5 p.m. — Free dinners at Sandpoint Assembly of God, 423 N. Lincoln St., Sandpoint.

• 4-6 p.m. — Free dinners at the Hoot Owl, 30784 Highway 200, Ponderay.

Tuesdays

• 11 a.m.-1 p.m. — Free lunches at Agape Cafe in the Seventh Day Adventist Church, 2235 Pine St., Sandpoint.

• 4:30-6 p.m. p.m. — Free dinners, Sandpoint Assembly of God’s Newport location, 1428 W. First St., Newport, Wash.

Wednesdays

• 11 a.m.-1 p.m. — Free soup lunch at the First Presbyterian Church Rainbow Cafe, 417 N. Fourth Ave., Sandpoint (formerly held at the Gardenia Center).

Thursdays

• 4-6 p.m. — Free dinners at the United Methodist Church, 711 Main St., Sandpoint.

Fridays

• 4-6 p.m. — Free dinners at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 601 S. Lincoln Ave., Sandpoint.

Saturday

No offerings

Sundays

• Noon-1 p.m. — Free lunches at the VFW Hall, 1325 Pine St., Sandpoint (only offered third and fourth Sundays of the month).

• 1-3 p.m. — Free Community Meal at Bonner Gospel Mission, 762 Triangle Drive, Ponderay.