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Community Kindness Inspires Missoula Food Bank's 23rd Annual Holiday Drive!
A volunteer of eight years, Margaret Rogers sorts and stocks canned food at the Missoula Food Bank one morning last week.
Photo by LINDA THOMPSON/Missoulian
Kindness of strangers: Missoula Food Bank hails heroes who help keep neighbors fed as number in need continues to grow
By MICHAEL MOORE of the Missoulian
With the nation's economy in free-fall, you might not expect folks at the Missoula Food Bank to be in a celebratory mood.
But they are.
Although the food bank at 219 S. Third St. W. is seeing record numbers of people in need of food, the need is somehow being met.
“What we're seeing is people in Missoula responding in unprecedented ways, with both food and money,” said development director Nick Roberts. “It's been so heartening to see how other people have recognized the needs in our community.”
Roberts said the pantry has seen about 25 percent to 30 percent more people this year over 2007.
“We're averaging 5,000 clients per month right now,” he said.
But Missoula has responded to the increased need with ever more food and money. The pantry gave away a record 1,300 donated turkeys over three days before Thanksgiving, and Roberts said people have pitched in in every imaginable way, from volunteering time to donating food and money.
“People are recognizing the magnitude of what others are facing now and responding in a way that is incredibly caring,” Roberts said.
And now people have another chance to pitch in, as the Food Bank opens its largest campaign of the year, the Holiday Drive. The drive is the Food Bank's 23rd, and it accounts for the largest influx of money and food that the nonprofit takes in over the year.
Last year, the drive netted $121,000 and 85,000 pounds of food.
“Those are the highest numbers we've ever seen,” said Roberts.
The drive starts Tuesday, Dec. 9, when grocery bags with pertinent food drive information will be delivered in the Missoulian.
The bags will have drop-off information printed on them, along with times and dates for the drive, which is set to end on Dec. 23.
In general, you can drop off food at any city or rural fire station in the Missoula area. But you can also drop food off at the Missoulian, the Missoula Family YMCA, all locations of First Security Bank and at the Auto Glass Center at 1105 N. Russell St.
For cash donations, mail a check to the Missoula Food Bank at 219 S. Third St. W., Missoula, 59801. You can also donate online by going to missoulafoodbank.org.
All donations are tax-deductible.
“We know times are hard, and we're only asking people to give within their means,” said Roberts. “We're asking them to take part in the celebration of the amazing community response we've already seen.”
Reporter Michael Moore can be reached at 523-5252 or at mmoore@missoulian.com
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Starting in January 2007, Missoula Food Bank will distribute weekly updates to interested supporters via email. This is in response to requests from our donors and friends. These communications will include up-to-date statistics about the people we are serving, immediate food needs that we have, upcoming volunteer opportunities, and so on.
If you would like to receive the Hunger Pulse e-newsletters, please send an email to mail@missoulafoodbank.org.
Missoula Farmers Market Joins Clark Fork in Accepting EBT Food Stamp cards
If there is one image that epitomizes summer in Missoula, it has to be the picturesque stalls of the farmer's market overflowing with local produce and Missoula community members, and beginning this July more Missoula residents will be able to access this festive Missoula institution.
This summer folks will once again be able use Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards to buy local food. This exciting program came together because of a collaboration of multiple organizations. The Missoula Farmer's Market, the Clark Fork River Market, Missoula Food Bank, The Community Food and Agriculture Coalition (CFAC), Creative Catering, United Way of Missoula County, and Big Sky Commerce all worked together to provide this array of benefits to the Missoula community. It is a win-win situation for everyone!
When shoppers use their EBT cards at farmer's markets, small family farmers receive federal dollars at their stands. Additionally low-income shoppers have access to fresh local produce, and our local economy benefits as the multiplier effect shows that EBT dollars spent at least double in circulation.
At the Missoula Farmer's Market, EBT card holders will bring their cards to the CFAC table near the white United Way Building, next to the west entrance of the market. Here the cards will be electronically swiped and the shopper will receive their chosen amount of dollars in tokens, which can then be exchanged at the stalls of participating vendors.
The Clark Fork River Market is in its third season offering this program. This summer, both markets have added the benefit of credit and debit cards. People can receive market tokens from credit, debit or EBT cards.
The use of EBT cards at farmer's markets is part of a nation-wide trend. The EBT card program is part of a group of programs initiated by the Community Food and Agriculture Coalition (CFAC) and Missoula Food Bank, which aim to reform the local food system so that all community members have access to healthy local foods.
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Volunteers Needed
Volunteers provide the Food Bank with over 14,000 hours of their time, energy and talents every year. And they do just about everything there is to be done, from sorting food and stocking shelves to processing prepared food and interviewing clients. Learn more...
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