A New Resource to End Hunger in Montana is Coming in 2025

As families gather to celebrate the holiday season, not everyone has enough food to put on the table. With food insecurity a persistent challenge across Montana, hunger-relief advocates are eagerly anticipating a critical new resource coming next year. In April 2024, Montana Food Bank Network (MFBN) launched its $15 million Campaign for Bigger Impact to advance its mission of ending hunger in Montana. The focal point of the campaign is a transformational new facility and distribution center at 5780 Alloy North in Missoula. Construction is now a month ahead of schedule, putting MFBN inside the new building in June 2025. “It can’t come soon enough,” said Gayle Carlson, MFBN’s president and chief executive officer. “As we see the need for charitable food resources rising across our network, we’re eager to move into this facility that will dramatically enhance our ability to reach more Montanans facing hunger.” With winter settling in Missoula, Jackson Contractor Group is focused on weatherproofing and insulation measures to enable work inside the building to continue in low temperatures into the new year. Exterior walls have been treated, window and door openings have been sealed, and roofing will be complete before the end of the year. Electrical, mechanical, and plumbing work will continue indoors, along with the pouring of concrete floors for the loading dock, freezer/cooler, and food storage areas. When it is complete, the new distribution center will double MFBN’s current storage capacity to just over 53,000 square feet, with room for 1,600 pallets of shelf-stable goods, 160 pallets of fresh produce, and 300 pallets of frozen meat, vegetables, and other food. The added space will allow MFBN to buy in bigger, more cost-effective quantities and take advantage of unexpected opportunities like large donations, while processing incoming food more efficiently. In 2024, MFBN provided over 16 million pounds of food—equivalent to more than 13 million meals—to 380 partners in all 56 of Montana’s counties. Just last year, an unprecedented 22 community agencies joined MFBN’s network, and another 20 are on a waiting list. With the additional capacity provided by the new building, MFBN will be able to resource even more partners. Across the state, 1 in 9 Montanans experience food insecurity, including 1 in 6 children. As Montana’s only statewide food bank, MFBN sources, stores, and delivers food to local food banks, pantries, schools, senior centers, tribal organizations, and other partners that distribute that food within their communities. Between inflation, rising housing costs, and other factors, MFBN’s network is charting a growing demand across the state. As more Montanans turn to the charitable food system more often, providing a wider variety of fresh foods is a priority for MFBN. With its new facility, it will look to partner with local growers and ranchers to help source and distribute more nutritious foods like fresh produce, dairy, and protein, including culturally relevant options. As it looks to wrap up construction in June 2025, MFBN is still seeking monetary donations to make the project a reality. “We’ve been blown away by the generosity of so many donors who recognize the far-reaching impact a resource like this will have for our state,” said Carlson. “In this last six months of fundraising, we’re really calling on everyone who believes that all Montanans should have equal access to nutritious food to join us. Every contribution will help us get there.” The Campaign for Bigger Impact is the largest fundraising campaign in MFBN’s more than 40-year history. To learn more about making a gift, contact Bill Mathews, chief development officer, at bmathews@mfbn.org or (406) 215-1777 or Todd Lengacher, director of philanthropy at tlengacher@mfbn.org or (406) 208-3716. Gifts can be made online at mfbn.org.

A New Resource to End Hunger in Montana is Coming in 2025

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