Demand up at local food pantry

While area residents may not be opening up their cupboards to help stock the shelves at the Bigfork Food Pantry, many are opening up their wallets to provide food to locals in need.

The demand on the pantry's regular distribution days, the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, has doubled over the last year, manager Sue Stuber said.

Stuber was used to seeing the number of people seeking the food bank's services drop between March and August, but that didn't happen this year.

The pantry will also provide roughly 80 baskets at Thanksgiving and Christmas to families in the area. The baskets are distributed the Tuesdays before the two holidays.

Drives that bring in the majority of the pantry's food have been significantly less successful as of late, Stuber said.

The Bigfork High School drive is usually the largest.

In November 2007, the drive brought in more than 6,000 pounds of food and last November it brought in half that. This year, the drive brought in less than 1,000 pounds of food.

Food donations may be down, but monetary donations are up.

Stuber estimates the food pantry has received between 25 and 50 percent more in monetary donations this year than in previous years.

With the money, the pantry has been capable of buying food products to fulfill its needs.

"This community, as usual, has been a huge backer of the [pantry]," Stuber said. "We are not hurting."

When the pantry does purchase food, its common needs tend to be baking staples like sugar, flour, rice, oatmeal and vegetable oil, but chili and cereal also often need replacing.

"I talk to so many people who say when times get tough, people who can give seem to step up to the plate," Stuber said. "It's incredible."

The prime example of this is a Bigfork woman, who has chosen to remain anonymous, that donated all the turkeys and hams for the Thanksgiving baskets.

"She's our meat angel," Stuber said.

To make food donations to the pantry, call 837-2297 to arrange a drop off or pick up.

Monetary donations can be mailed to PO Box 850, Bigfork, MT, 59911.