MISSOULA — Food, we all need it! But for many families across Montana, getting food can be a daily struggle but the Montana Food Bank Network (MFBN) is trying to help provide some relief to those in need.
Their new building will soon be completed and MFBN will be able to almost double their capacity, serving even more families in need.
“The warehouse absolutely just astounds me every time I walk in there and the size and the capacity that we will be able to do later on,” said MFBN president and CEO Gayle Carlson.
MFBN works with 340 partners across the state, delivering food to large and small communities alike. The new warehouse has the potential to help serve smaller communities even more.
“What we would love to be able to do is have more frequent deliveries to some of these small, smaller communities. That's going to need greater capacity here in our warehouse," Carlson told MTN.
"It's going to mean additional drivers, but just to be able to serve those communities on a more frequent basis,” she continued.
Gov. Greg Gianforte came out to tour the construction of the new warehouse and pack a couple of boxes of food for those in need on Thursday, December 19.
“Montana Food Bank Network has been serving here for 40 years and they're out of capacity so this new facility that they're building will allow them to accept food they're currently turning away and they'll be able to serve more folks in all 56 counties across the state,” Gianforte said.
The National Association of Realtors reports Montana is the least affordable state and MFBN’s network saw over 600,000 visits in 2024, up 200,000 visits from 2023.
Gov. Gianforte says that with a growing need for MFBN’s services, a strong economy will help those in need.
“One of the things I'm most pleased of is over the last four years we've had higher wage growth than 48 other states in the country. In fact, we're only we're one of two states where wage growth has exceeded inflation over the last four years. So a strong economy floats all boats. But in the meantime, we have to take care of people that are in need. That's why putting a meal on a table is so important." Gov. Greg Gianforte (R-MT).
MFBN sees great success putting meals on tables, but sometimes it’s a stretch as their funding comes solely from private donations.
Visit https://mfbn.org/get-involved/ to learn more about how to help the Missoula Food Bank Network.
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