Community foundation grant boosts food bank expansion

Whitefish Community Foundation recently awarded a $25,000 grant to North Valley Food Bank to support the organization’s facility expansion project.

North Valley Food Bank has seen the demand for its services triple since 2019 with it regularly serving about 4,400 individuals. To address the growing problem of food insecurity in the Flathead Valley, the organization recently launched a $1.15 million capital project to expand warehouse space and create an onsite commercial kitchen.

Sophie Albert, executive director of the food bank, said the support from the Whitefish Community Foundation for the food bank’s remodel will make a big difference in the community.

“The remodel is necessary to address the significant increase in the need for food assistance in the Whitefish area,” Albert said. “The remodel will allow us to shift from our ‘pre-packaged box model’ to a choice model of greater autonomy and dignity for our customers.”

The grant was made possible by members of the Whitefish Community Foundation’s Circle of Giving and other donors who support the Major Community Project Fund.

The expanded facility will include larger walk-in refrigeration and freezer units that staff and volunteers can access with an automated handcart or forklift. The food bank moves approximately 100,000 pounds of food and supplies through its warehouse every month, three times what the organization handled in 2019.

The project also includes adding a commercial kitchen to the facility so staff and volunteers can process, preserve and store nutritional foods throughout the year, including seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Albert says by using the new kitchen to preserve fresh produce the food bank will be able to distribute more nutritious food throughout the year.

“In addition, the kitchen enables us to provide food education programs and job skill training,” she said. “Finally, to address the increasing amount of food moved through our facility and ensure the safety of our volunteers and staff, we increased and improved our refrigeration, freezer, and warehouse space.”

The food bank still needs to raise an additional $250,000 to complete the project.

Donations can be made online at northvalleyfoodbank.org or by calling (406) 862-5863.

The Major Community Project Fund at Whitefish Community Foundation is dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations complete capital projects that will have a significant and positive effect on communities in the Flathead Valley. Since the inception of the fund in 2010, $669,000 has been awarded to projects selected by the Whitefish Community Foundation Board of Directors.

Whitefish Community Foundation is dedicated to fostering philanthropy, building endowments, and helping donors and nonprofits benefit communities in the Flathead Valley. For more information, visit www.whitefishcommunityfoundation.org.