What We Do
Our Programs
Five programs, every one of them free, every one run by volunteers: everyday basics, meals, period care, emergency aid, and holiday gifts.
No application, no income test, no cost. Ever.
How We Help
Meeting the Needs Nobody Else Covers
Federal and state assistance does not pay for personal hygiene, household, or pet care products, and most food banks receive no funding for them either. That gap is where Bestowing the Basics lives.
Every program below is provided free of charge to individuals and families in Athol, Bayview, Careywood, and the surrounding rural communities of north Idaho.
The Programs
What We Run
Supplying the Basics
Free hygiene, household, cleaning, and pet care goods at our free distribution every Tuesday, 10 AM to 2 PM, at the Resource Center. We average 148 people served at each one, from ten cities across three counties.
We also deliver to the ABC Food Bank every week of the year, and help them host collection drives and plan events.
Feeding the Need
Free summer lunches for children and teens every Tuesday from mid-June through mid-August, 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM at the Athol City Park pavilion.
A free community meal on the second Friday of each month, October through March, 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM at The Country Boy Cafe — not tied to need, just a place to gather. Plus the Careywood Community Pantry, open 24 hours a day beside the fire station.
Period Positive Program
All 11 schools in the Lakeland 272 School District receive discreet pouches holding two pads, two tampons, two pantyliners, feminine wipes, a brand new pair of underwear, and a sweet treat; free of charge, for any young woman caught unprepared during the school day.
The program now reaches Coeur d’Alene as well, and Timberlake Middle School took our first free restroom hygiene cart in April 2024.
Emergency Aid
Limited, temporary relief for households hit by something sudden; a fire, a job loss, a medical bill, a utility shut-off notice, an unsafe living situation. Every application is reviewed individually and treated confidentially. Athol Elementary School counselor Heather Hamilton, the ABC Food Bank, and local churches help us reach families who need it.
Winter Blessings
When the holidays are on the horizon we partner with area agencies, schools, small businesses, and like-minded individuals to bless families in need. Our volunteers shop sales all year long, buying in advance so the budget stretches further.
Alongside the families we assist directly, we support the ABC Food Bank’s Tree of Sharing and have gifted groups of children from Athol, Garwood, and Spirit Lake Elementary. We have gifted hundreds of families, especially children and teens, items they wanted and needed and could not otherwise afford.
Eligibility
Who Can Use These Programs
We serve individuals and families in Athol, Bayview, Careywood, and other small, rural, underserved communities in north Idaho, generally north of Lancaster Road in Hayden and south of the Sandpoint Long Bridge.
Our open programs need no application, no income verification, and no paperwork. Emergency Aid is reviewed case by case because funds are limited — everything else, just come.
Keep Them Running
Every Program Runs on Donations
We have no paid employees. Product, money, and time are what keep these programs on the road.
Volunteer
Sorting, driving, serving, assembling pouches, or helping behind the scenes. No minimum commitment and no experience needed.
Donate Goods
Buy from the needs list and drop it at any of our four collection locations, or mail it to our PO Box.
Give Financially
Cash lets us buy exactly what is short that month, in bulk, on sale.
Need Help, or Want to Help?
Every program on this page exists because neighbors showed up for each other. There is room for you on either side of that.
Questions? Call us at (208) 561-5050