North Valley Food Bank hosts open house

The North Valley Food Bank will host an open house on Saturday, June 26 as a way to gather the community to celebrate the life and legacy of its founder June Munski-Feenan.

The open house will include kid-friendly activities, sharing of memories, live music and free smoothie bowls from Mountain Berry Bowls for the first 250 guests. The Woodstock Tribute Band will be performing at the event — the band plays iconic songs from 1968-1973. The band features Bill Rossiter on the harmonica and banjo, Tom Esch on the guitar and vocals, Chuck Cummings on the keyboard, and Steve Eckels on vocals and guitar. The event will be sponsored by Glacier Bank.

North Valley Food Bank’s staff will also provide tours of the building to share the latest updates. The food bank has been a drive-thru service since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and will soon transition to a choice model, a pantry-style model that functions similarly to a regular grocery store. Services will still be zero-cost to neighbors in need.

“We are almost ready to reopen our doors to customers after a challenging COVID-19 year,” Sophie Albert, North Valley Food Bank’s Executive Director said. “During the pandemic, we distributed food through a drive-thru model. Now our plan is to shift from the ‘pre-packaged box model’ to one of greater integrity and autonomy.”

Customers will be able to “shop” for the foods that work best for their unique needs. The food bank says that this ensures a more dignified experience and it also reduces potential food waste by allowing customers to select exactly the foods they want and need. This pantry model is widely used across the United States with great efficacy according to North Valley Food Bank.

The open house will be at North Valley Food Bank, 251 Flathead Avenue in Whitefish, on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information visit https://www.northvalleyfoodbank.org/