Churches, community buoy food bank

By ALEX STRICKLAND / Bigfork Eagle

With the countdown to Thanksgiving basket distribution being counted in hours rather than days or weeks, volunteers streamed into the Bigfork Food Pantry on Monday bringing baskets and food.

"I don't ever worry about asking, because this community always comes through," said Sue Stuber, who runs the Bigfork pantry.

For Thanksgiving this year the pantry will feed about 200 people via 63 Thanksgiving baskets prepared by local churches and other volunteers.

In addition to filling baskets to the brim with everything from dinner rolls to homemade cookies and fruits and vegetables, many donors decorated the baskets with festive holiday trimming.

Stuber said all the Bigfork-area churches help the pantry every week and that the past few years they have gone above and beyond when it comes to the holiday season.

"It just pleases me to no end," she said.

And the generosity from the community couldn't be coming at a better time for the food bank, which is being inundated with new clients as the national economic squeeze starts to crimp the Flathead.

Stuber said not only is this year's number of Thanksgiving baskets up from 50 to 63, but that each distribution day more people are showing up than ever before.

"Every time we're open we see more moms and dads with kids coming in," she said. "It's been more and more over the last six distributions."

The food bank distributes twice per month.

While Stuber acknowledges that coming to the food bank is a heartbreaking thing for many proud people, the staff of cheerful, friendly volunteers who help out at the Bigfork Food Bank make people feel at ease.

"We're like a big, happy family," she said.

The food bank family has gotten a lot of help lately keeping the shelves well-stocked. Students at Bigfork High School recently held their annual food drive, bringing in 3,183 pounds of non-perishable food. And, to Stuber's delight, most of it was items the food bank badly needs, like juice and cereals.

"It was more successful than I anticipated," Stuber said.

And since it's hunting season, Stuber and Flathead Food Bank head Lori Botkin said anyone looking for a place to donate game meat from deer or elk will find open arms at Valley food banks. The meat must be professionally processed for the banks to be able to accept it, but Botkin said that anyone interested should call the Flathead Food Bank office to discuss ways in which the organization could help with processing costs.

Though the shelves are full to bursting now, there's often a drop in donations after the holiday season, Stuber said, and the current rising trend of clients could put the food bank on a crash course.

"Everything's increasing," Stuber said. "There's been no drop this year."

Even with increased demand, there's confidence among the food bank staff that the people of Bigfork will come through, like they always have.

"This community has done so much already," Stuber said. "It's been the biggest blessing of my life and for this pantry."

For more information, or to donate food, funds or time, contact the Bigfork Food Bank at 837-2297 or the Flathead Food Bank at 752-3663.