Sam’s Meals for Many Fighting Hunger for the Holidays

MOORHEAD, Minn. – Sam Bestge is a freshman in high school. Four years ago, he stumbled across an article in a newspaper with some startling information about his county.

“The Becker County Food Pantry was one of the highest used food pantries in Minnesota, so that got me thinking, ‘What can I do to help someone in my school?'” said Sam Bestge.

His solution was to form an organization, and give back to his community. It all started with a $15 challenge from his Sunday school teacher.

“They gave us $15. $10 was supposed to go towards charity, and then $5 was for you, otherwise you could put it all towards charity. Then I saw this article in the DL paper…”

And his organization exploded from there, gaining traction year after year, and important partnerships a long the way.

Tony Walls is the store manager at Cash Wise, he’s been working with Sam for the last three years.

“You’ve got this young man, who’s a freshman in high school. You see that and it’s inspiring. To be able to be a part of that is pretty cool,” said Tony.

It’s not just about the partnership for Tony. You’ll find him helping with the whole process, from organizing, to packing and loading.

“To be back there loading stuff onto a truck, that’s not a lot of work. It’s nothing compared to the amount of work that this young man has put into it,” said Tony Walls, the store manager at the Moorhead Cash Wise.

Sam’s Meals for Many has slowly grown from feeding just one hungry family three years ago, to 29 last year, and from a mere $15, to $13,000.

The money will help create 50 meal baskets that include items like a Ham Dinner and Christmas day breakfast, as well as gas cards and gifts just in time for Christmas.

“I actually saw a family pick a meal basket up, and once they saw how much food it was, they started crying, because they didn’t know where it was going to come from,” said Sam.

Sam may be a freshman in high school still, but for hungry families in Becker County, he’s evidence that even the youngest hearts can make a huge impact in their community.

You can find out more information and how you can help at Sam’s Meals for Many Facebook page.