Bitterroot valley food banks offering curbside services
The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation announced last week that it has awarded $450,000 to 86 organizations that provide basic needs support to our communities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Food distributors such as food banks and pantries make up the bulk of the grant recipients, with the rest going to organizations that support the homeless or provide other basic needs support.
“Basic needs organizations are critically important to helping Montana’s most vulnerable citizens,” Foundation Executive Director Mike Halligan said. “The Foundation wants to help alleviate the strain placed on these organizations by the COVID-19 crisis by giving them a cash infusion now, while at the same time helping them generate additional resources by leveraging our donation.” These organizations have current funding relationships with the Foundation and were selected with the intention of providing the broadest level of support as quickly as possible.
The award includes initial grants totaling $300,000 for emergency response to the health crisis. In addition, the Foundation is committing $150,000 more in matching grants. Each organization will be eligible for a matching grant of up to 50 percent of their initial grant amount. The matching grant is designed to help raise additional resources from the organizations’ local communities.
Organizations in the Bitterroot valley slated to benefit include:
The Darby Bread Box Food Bank will receive an initial grant of $2,000 with an opportunity for another matching grant of $1,000 if that much can be raised in local funds.
In Hamilton, Haven House Food Bank will receive an initial grant of $3,000 with an opportunity for another $1,500 to match local donations. Family Shelter of the Bitterroot will also receive $3,000 in an initial grant and an opportunity for a $1,500 match for funds raised locally. Bitterroot Valley Calvary Chapel was awarded an initial grant of $2,000 with a match of $1,000 if the equivalent can be raised locally.
The Stevensville Pantry Partners Food Bank will receive an initial grant of $3,000 with an opportunity to receive another $1,500 if local matching funds can be raised.
If all 86 organizations across the state take advantage of the matching grants, at least $600,000 will reach safety net programs across Montana, including the Foundation’s $450,000 total award.
Montana Attorney General Tim Fox, who hosted an online news conference with representatives from food banks, said, “Across Montana, food pantry staff and volunteers are working tirelessly to make sure nobody goes hungry during the coronavirus emergency. Because the pandemic has started to impact the livelihoods of some Montanans, we anticipate the need for nutrition assistance will be greater than ever.”
According to news reports in the Great Falls Tribune, Gayle Carson of the Montana Food Bank Network said they were seeing a dramatic increase in some counties such as Gallatin and Flathead where the number of Food Bank clients is increasing 25% daily.
As of Monday, March 30, the state was reporting 171 confirmed cases of coronavirus with 67 in Gallatin County. There have been four deaths in the state due to COVID-19.
Ravalli County to date has had only one confirmed case within the county and the impacts related to the recent restrictions on businesses are just beginning to be felt. All three food banks in the valley reported last week that they have not seen any significant or even noticeable increase in activity.
But a lot has changed in how the food banks are operating. They have all converted to curbside service to distribute their goods, so no one has to get out of their vehicle and workers inside are protected from contact with clients as well.
Shari Kastenholz, crew leader at Pantry Partners in Stevensville, said last week that the new curbside service was working well. She said people just pull up and a volunteer goes out and stays a safe distance from the vehicle to take down the client’s name and order. The food box is prepared inside and brought out.
“We haven’t seen a big surge in activity here,” said Kastenholz. She said there were about 22 clients last Wednesday which she called about average.
Kastenholz said that they were still accepting food donations, but they were placing the items in quarantine for one to three days in a shed as a precautionary measure. She said that food donations could be dropped off from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the back door on days they are open. The pantry provides each client one box of food per month, but they may return weekly for some fresh produce and bakery goods on “the Porch” which now includes milk, bread and eggs which the food bank is purchasing.
A family size box of food consists of many items including soap and toilet paper. Food items include carrots, potatoes, onions, nuts, shredded cheese, oranges, crackers, rice, pasta, beans, tuna, chili, stew, sloppy joe mix, spaghetti sauce, meat, dried cereal, sugar, flour, peanut butter, juice, ramen and pancake mix. Kastenholz said it was about a three- to five-day food supply.
Stevensville Pantry Partners is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. It is located along Middle Burnt Fork Road at 3614 ALC Way. Call 777-0351.
Judy Williams, Manager of Haven House in Hamilton, said the usual group of about eight volunteers continues to show up.
“We have food. We are in fairly good shape,” said Williams, but she was quick to add that they were accepting cash and food donations. “There is a box out front where the public can drop off donations, or they can just bring it inside,” she said. Williams said they have not seen any real increase in activity. She said they continue to give out from 30 to 35 boxes a day when they are open.
Haven House, located in Hamilton at 316 North 3rd Street, is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 363-2450.
Mary Lockwood at the Darby Bread Box said they had started doing curbside service last Friday.
“It’s working,” said Lockwood. “The clients are good with it. They understand. We wanted to stay open, but we also want to keep everybody safe.” She said if no one comes right out you can ring the doorbell and someone will respond.
The Darby Bread Box is located on 206 East Tanner Avenue and is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 821-2081.