Food bank shifts into high gear for holidays

POLSON — The holidays mean hectic days for food banks throughout the Mission Valley, and Polson Loaves and Fish Food Pantry is no exception.

Though only open to clients on Tuesdays and Fridays, the pantry is bustling with activity for most of the week, as volunteers work hard to keep the shelves stocked for local households in need.

Since its founding in 1983, the pantry has filled a vital role in the community, but that importance has reached new levels in recent years, as demand has skyrocketed amidst the recession. Whereas the pantry distributed a total of about 30,000 pounds of food in 2008, their output has more than quadrupled since then, approaching the 140,000-pound threshold for 2012.

The pantry typically serves 200-275 households in a given month, but December is their busiest month of the year, and it isn’t uncommon for 40-50 households to stop by in a single day.

But for managing director Bryan River and his faithful team of roughly 40 volunteers, the seasonal ebb and flow is part of the game and they rise to meet challenge, knowing that their work helps to make the season bright for clients. River says that approximately 50% more food is distributed in December, as the pantry gives out turkeys, fruit and other goods that have been specially set aside for Christmastime.

After overcoming a battle with cancer years ago, River vowed to make giving back to the community a greater priority moving forward.

“One of my goals was to give back someday,” he says. “Everyone else here feels the same way,” he added about the cast of volunteers.

Volunteers come from all over the geographic area served by the pantry, which extends from just north of Pablo to Proctor on the west side of Flathead Lake, and Yellow Bay on the east.

“The volunteers here reflect the diversity of Polson,” says River. Sometimes clients, themselves, will even come back to lend a hand at the pantry.

By weight, local stores represent the pantry’s largest donor of food, while the Missoula-based Montana Food Bank Network is the facility’s second-greatest source of donations.

River says that contributions from the Food Bank Network have tailed off in recent years due to under-funding and heightened statewide demand for their services. However, area churches, businesses and private donors have pitched in to help pick up the slack.

Households may visit the pantry once a month, and are also allowed one emergency visit per year.

“They like being able to pick their own food,” River says of the pantry’s new policies that allow clients more freedom.  He also mentioned that the pantry is starting to explore a future program that would deliver food to housebound seniors.

According to River, items high in protein – such as meat, beans, dairy and peanut butter — are among the foods that the pantry covets most. The pantry was dealt a blow when a recent peanut recall forced them to throw away 800 pounds of peanut butter, but otherwise, their stores of protein-rich foods are currently strong, thanks in part to hundreds of pounds of donated lake trout from CSKT Mack Days coordinators. The pantry also has secured a $2,000 grant from the Greater Polson Community Foundation for meat purchases that they have yet to tap into.

Originally run out of the basement of a local church when it was first established, River says that a lot of the pantry’s work is made possible by the organization’s new home on 1st Street East that opened in 2010.

“It’s a more pleasant place for clients and for the workers,” River said of the facility that is still gleaming two years after opening its doors.

The main allure of the new building is that it allows more space for food distribution, preparation, and storage. Another improvement includes walk-in coolers that have helped the pantry to accommodate donations of fresh produce.

“We’d never been able to accept that before because we’d never been able to keep it cool,” River said.

Approximately 100 pounds of excess food items such as bread and dairy are sent to the Bread Basket in Ronan on a weekly basis.

Those interested in getting in the holiday spirit of helping others are encouraged to contact their local food pantry to inquire about volunteer or donation opportunities. If the fun dynamic enjoyed by Loaves and Fish volunteers was any indication, it looks like a good time for a good cause.