Lower Flathead Valley Community Foundation assists local food banks
Representatives from three local food banks recently received a donation of $600 in grocery credits apiece from the Lower Flathead Valley Community Foundation. Food bank representatives are (front row): Marie Kloberdeauz from the Arlee food pantry, Nancy Williams of the Ronan Bread Basket, and Heidi Riddle and Margaret Schoen of the Mission Valley Food Bank. LFVCF representatives (back row) are board president Brennin Grainey, Robbie Gauthier and Rick Eneas. (Myrna Gauthier photo)
Food banks in Ronan, St. Ignatius and Arlee each received grocery credits of $600 apiece last week, thanks to a collaboration between the Lower Flathead Valley Community Foundation and the For the Children Foundation.
According to the Montana Food Bank Network, approximately 1 in 12 Montanans struggle with hunger, including more than 31,000 children.
“This has been a very difficult winter for families in our area to meet rising costs at the stores,” says Nancy Williams, a volunteer at the Bread Basket in Ronan. "We are busier than ever."
Since its inception in 1998, the Lower Flathead Valley Community Foundation has been faithful to its mission of supporting projects that helped local communities meet their goals. Children have been at the center of the organization’s mission statement, and that includes helping families assure that their kids are not hungry. Partnering with the area’s food banks has been key to that mission.
Recently, LFVCF board member Mark MacDonald was visiting with former Miami Dolphin and Whitefish resident Doug Betters and his wife, Jennifer. The couple created the For the Children Foundation in 1984, and since then, the all-volunteer organization has helped over 1,180 Montana families who have children with medical conditions that require treatment outside their communities get help with travel expenses. They pay for lodging, transportation and meals so that travel is one less thing a Montana family has to worry about during a difficult time.
During his visit, the Betters told MacDonald that For the Children had received gift cards for groceries at stores across Montana. The couple offered to share $1,800 worth of the cards with the Lower Flathead Valley Community Foundation, which in turn reached out to local food banks.
Representatives of food banks in Ronan, St. Ignatius and Arlee met with Foundation members Brennin Grainey, Rick Eneas and Robbie Gauthier last Wednesday, Feb. 1, to receive the cards, which will be used to help replenish supplies and feed families across the Mission Valley.