Nonprofits Work to Battle Rising Food Insecurity

As the holidays approach in northwest Montana and food insecurity remains steady, local nonprofits are working to keep up with demand that encompasses more than 5,000 square miles in Flathead County and beyond.

Local food banks and organizations designed to benefit senior citizens are increasingly reliant on volunteers and donations while nonprofit leaders have adjusted their programming to adapt to the community’s needs.

At the North Valley Food Bank (NVFB) in Whitefish, Executive Director Sophie Albert said October was their busiest month on record while she also saw an uptick in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.

“There is a rising demand of people coming into the food bank,” Albert said. “I think it continues to be housing – and food prices continue to be high, and we are seeing more people who are unhoused.”

To meet the needs of this demographic of customers, NVFB Culinary Arts Manager Rachel Broom and a team of volunteers developed ready-to-eat food packages with locally sourced produce, which can be easily reheated for those without kitchen access.

While the food bank isn’t seeing a significant spike in demand as it has in recent years, Albert says there’s still a steady increase and she sees a variety of customers ranging from working families to a high volume of seniors.

So far this year, NVFB has provided 271,438 meals, delivered 112,681 pounds of food and volunteers have tallied 3,915 hours.

Albert is also seeing a growing need among residents in rural areas surrounding the Flathead Valley. NVFB provides mobile pantries to Olney, Essex and Trego, serving more community members each year.

NVFB continues to work with smaller food banks across Montana and she helped launch the Montana Food Pantry Collaborative with Hopa Mountain Foundation two years ago to help build capacity for smaller pantries. The partnership entails trainings and bulk purchasing while sharing advocacy strategies that will be brought forward during the 2025 Legislative Session.

This year, NVFB saw enough food donations for Thanksgiving, but Albert said there was a drop in monetary donations, which she hopes to boost heading into the 2025. With Medicaid expansion and other social benefits at risk, she said it’s likely the food bank will see more customers.

At the Flathead County Agency on Aging, Director Carla Dyment says demand for the dining room at the Flathead City-County Health Department in Kalispell and the Meals on Wheels program has also skyrocket in recent years.

Since 2020, Meals on Wheels demand has grown 34% and now averages 7,000 meals delivered per month.

“That increase is huge,” Dyment said. “Our federal and state funding that supports our entire nutrition program has been pretty stagnant. We are facing a funding gap and we’re starting to think about how we will address that in the next few years.”

The Meals on Wheels program is entirely dependent on volunteers who deliver 350 hot meals like macaroni and cheese and pot roast per day to elderly individuals who lack the means cook or travel outside of their home.

Volunteers – many who are retired –  drive across Flathead County on routes to ensure hot meals are delivered to each person. Dyment estimates there are roughly 250 volunteers county-wide.

“We always need more,” Dyment said.

In addition to the hot meal, the program is also designed for social interaction and Dyment added that there have been several instances when a volunteer has walked in on a recipient experiencing a health emergency, prompting them to call 911.

“I think one of the biggest reasons we have the volunteer base that we do is that notion of giving back to the community – specifically elders,” Dyment said. “It’s equally beneficial for both the Meals on Wheels recipients and the volunteers. They build a relationship and it’s more than just a meal being delivered, it’s a well-check. It’s socialization and it helps combat the isolation that a lot of older adults experience when they are homebound.”

“That interconnectedness is a big part of what makes the program special,” Dyment added.

To volunteer, call the Agency on Aging dining room to request an application packet at (406) 758-5711.

To volunteer at the North Valley Food Bank, call (406) 862-5863 or visit www.northvalleyfoodbank.org.

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