The Great Plains Food Bank Helps North Dakota’s New Face of Hunger

The food bank delivered almost 800,000 pounds of food in 2016

February 1, 2017

FARGO, N.D. — The Great Plains Food Bank has been helping the less–fortunate in our community since 2008, and they rely on donations from the public. The demand for their food increases every year, and it comes from places you might not expect.

The Great Plains Food Bank’s mobile pantry delivers food to the needy across North Dakota.

“The mobile food pantry is just like a pantry on wheels, and basically what we do is we bring boxes of food and produce and meats and we hand it out to people who come in their cars,” said Andrea Block, Great Plains Food Bank’s Regional Services Manager.

In recent years, the face of hunger has changed in North Dakota and so has the demand for food from the food bank. The mobile pantry serves more people than just those who can’t afford groceries.

“One of the biggest issues that North Dakota faces is access to food,” said Block. “They either can’t afford their local groceries or the food pantry – the nearest one to them – is maybe 30 minutes to an hour away.”

The food bank depends on the public donating their unused food products.

“Ninety-seven percent of the food that we get at the Great Plains Food Bank is donated,” said Jared Slinde, Great Plains Food Bank’s Communications Manager. “We have incredible partnerships, incredible donors – both at a financial level and both at a product level.”

Helping people is at the heart of what the food bank does every day.

“The outreach is really pretty cool,” said Slinde. “You have a chance to go out into these communities and you see the need and how much this food is going to benefit them. You’re making it as easy as you can for them to get the food that they need.”

It’s a mission which goes on every day, relying on the generosity of others to give where they can to help those in need.

The Food Bank made 118 stops in 2016 and distributed nearly 800,000 pounds of food. To find out how you can make a donation to the food bank, click here.