In a Nutshell: Food insecurity in rural communities

This is part one of a two-part column topic of food insecurity.

I am excited for a new opportunity to keep the community informed about food insecurity and the North Valley Food Bank – here is our first monthly column In a Nutshell.

Food insecurity is a hidden issue in the northern Flathead. Many of our neighbors struggle daily with inconsistent access to food. The Covid-19 pandemic, inflation, and rising cost of housing have worsened the situation for many families already struggling to make ends meet, as well as forced many households to seek assistance at the North Valley Food Bank and other local food pantries for the first time. More than ever, we have learned that life is unpredictable and that hardship can touch us all. In our neighborhoods, parents skip meals to make sure their kids are fed, families worry that they’ll run out of food before their next paycheck, and seniors have to choose between paying for their medication or food. At the food bank in Whitefish, we are fortunate to have tremendous community support to help our neighbors facing these situations. Volunteers, donors, grocery stores, and local farms have stepped up to help us meet the high demand for food assistance over the past two years.

Neighboring rural communities are less privileged and have battled an even higher demand. Montanans living in remote areas face additional challenges of limited transportation, significant distance to the nearest grocery store and high rates of unemployment. Lincoln and Glacier County are the sixth most and most food-insecure counties in the state, respectively.

I believe that plentiful, nutritious food is not, and should never be, a privilege. Everyone deserves the food they need. It is our mission at the North Valley Food Bank to build food security and strengthen communities. To fulfill our mission, we constantly evaluate how to promote equitable ways of assisting our neighbors in need.

To accomplish this goal, North Valley Food Bank started mobile pantries in Trego, Olney, and Essex to ensure those with transportation issues have access to services. While we currently serve around 160 households weekly through our free grocery store, drive-thru distribution, and delivery program here in Whitefish, the Trego mobile pantry has grown from serving 25 households weekly in 2019 to 150 households in 2021. It is now our biggest food distribution operation. Our 2021 community needs assessment showed that prior to expanding our services, 60% of community members in Trego had very little fresh food in their house and nearly half worried about running out of food.

In addition, North Valley Food Bank has historically shared free rescue food from local grocery stores with other direct service agencies. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have ramped up these services to include a Rural Pantry Delivery program after communities in Lincoln County reached out for help. To learn more about rural food insecurity in northwestern Montana and our pantry delivery program to Browning, the Yaak, Libby, Troy and Eureka, stay tuned for next month’s In a Nutshell.

Sophie Albert is the executive director of North Valley Food Bank. Albert provides insights into happenings at the food bank, rural food insecurity, stories of the community and more in the monthly Whitefish Pilot column titled, In a Nutshell.