COA buys refrigerator truck with United Way funding

The Council on Aging in Colfax was able to purchase this truck with refrigerating capabilities to transport food and produce to Whitman County pantries and senior meal sites. This is the first time the council has had a truck with this feature.

The Council on Aging has added another vehicle to its fleet. United Way of Pullman donated $36,500 toward a refrigerated truck that will be used for the council's nutrition programs.

“It's totally exciting,” said COA Executive Director Paige Collins.

The truck totaled approximately $41,000. Collins said private donations paid the difference, and she added that the purchase came just in time.

“That big yellow truck we use has been on its last legs for about a year-and-a-half,” she said. “It has no parking brake, and it died again just in time for us to get the new truck.”

Collins said the old truck did not do very well to support transferring food to other pantries throughout the county.

“Trying to carry around and store produce was just awful,” she said.

For the first time, COA has a truck with refrigeration capabilities.

“We can plug it in at night and store stuff in there overnight,” said Collins.

The truck was purchased from Pacific Truck Center in Ridgefield, Wash. COA's Manager of Nutrition Sarah Kane found and negotiated for the truck, and her dad did the test drive before the purchase.

Collins said Dean Hall, nutrition driver, “is extremely happy with his new toy and excited about being able to serve the county more efficiently.”

“We already are using it,” said Collins. “We're going to get our logo on it hopefully in the next month or so.”

Collins said she is extremely grateful to United Way for its donation, and also for the other entities which supported them in being able to purchase the truck.

Whitman County food pantries serve more than 800 families in Whitman County, and the food banks and meal sites provide food and nutrition education for more than 1,800 people each month.

The truck will be used to transport food to the county's 11 food pantries and also will be used for the six senior meal sites throughout the county.