The story begins in 2015 when Rick Clark, age 44, jobless, and living out of a trailer, changed his life as well as the life of another. When crossing paths with a homeless person – a person only a little worse off than himself, Rick learned of the man’s stolen backpack. Using his last $8 dollars and a promise to return in two days with a replacement loaded with supplies, the first chapter our story was written. A social media call to aid shared across the community over 500 times, Rick soon had enough to replace the man’s backpack and 24 more. Giving Back Packs started that day and has filled over 3,700 packs for our community’s most vulnerable. This, along with a creative array of other community-centered philanthropic projects, captured the attention of the Greater Spokane community.
The next chapter in 2017 saw local restaurants, threatened by the one-two punch of economic downturn amidst a world-wide epidemic, become rock stars. With Rick at the helm, groups organized on social media sites to rally in an effort to keep their doors open. Creative, focused help that the community desperately needed organized online through “Giving Back Packs” and “The Spokane Quaranteam” posts and pages. As economic uncertainty loomed Spokane delighted in this bright light of exuberant, guerrilla charity. The momentum was rapidly growing beyond the scope of one person. The plethora of good deeds expanding beyond just backpacks.
By 2020, Rick’s efforts amassed an outpouring of local support and this community minded recovery became the entire city’s story . The needs of our community were unique, and Giving Back Spokane would rise to meet these needs with joyful, creative, focused help. Each new heartfelt tale was met with unique, charitable contributions by community members ready to reach out a helping hand.
In 2023, the story changed again as the wave of enthusiasm and collaboration took form to create Giving Back Spokane. Giving Back Spokane continues to help Spokane tell stories of community and support by continuing its previous outreach, while actively seeking out new areas of need in the Pacific Northwest. What started as one man’s desire to help another has grown into a movement far beyond anything anyone could have imagined.
