1 in 6 children in Montana experience food insecurity.

North Valley Food Bank's FEED KIDS Food Drive

When school lets out for summer, many children in Montana lose access to the consistent, nourishing meals they receive during the school year. With 1 in 6 children across the state experiencing food insecurity, summer can be a particularly challenging time for families working to make ends meet. Without school meals, the gap in access to nutritious food widens, placing additional strain on households already navigating limited resources. To combat this increase in food insecurity, North Valley Food Bank (NVFB) is hosting its FEED KIDS Food Drive throughout May, asking community members to donate kid-friendly meals and snacks to the food bank to fill its free grocery store shelves before school is out. 

NVFB is asking for the following donations: Applesauce Cups, Macaroni & Cheese, Tuna Packets, Nuts, Cereal, Oatmeal, Crackers, Peanut Butter, Jelly, Fruit Cups, Popcorn, Fruit Snacks, Soups, Goldfish, Trail Mix, Granola Bars, Meat Sticks, Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, Diapers, and Children’s Vitamins.

What We Do

North Valley Food Bank provides food assistance to more than 1200 people weekly through our free client-choice model grocery store in Whitefish and mobile pantries in Columbia Falls, Essex, Olney and Trego. In addition to the customers served directly, North Valley Food Bank serves as a food hub for NW Montana and runs pantry deliveries to FAST Blackfeet in Browning, the Bigfork Food Bank and rural pantries in the Yaak, Eureka, Libby, and Troy.

North Valley Food Bank has a licensed commercial kitchen space on-site. Through our community kitchen programming, North Valley Food Bank transforms rescue food into meals, processes local food, and hosts nutrition education for families.