As the snow melts and warm weather begins to move in to the Flathead, it would seem that winter’s hardships are on the way out. But for some food banks in the valley, this time of year has been marked by a considerable lack of protein.
“We are out of meat,” said Leslie Knuth of the West Shore Food Bank in Lakeside.
Knuth said she hasn’t received a shipment of hamburger from the state in two months and has been buying in bulk from local grocers to cover the need. While the food bank does have chicken and sausage, hamburger meat is often critical for many families because of its versatility, Knuth said.
And with the recession taking its toll on many area families, Knuth said her food bank has seen a drastic increase of people in need over the past year. It has also had to change the way it approaches business. Instead of being a system of support for families by providing a three-day emergency supply of food, Knuth said their new modus operandi is simply to feed the hungry.
“When they come we try to give them whatever they need within a basic commodity list,” Knuth said.
Betty Baldwin at the North Valley Food Bank in Whitefish said they are facing similar woes. During last week’s distribution day, Baldwin said the food bank helped roughly 150 families in two hours. That’s indicative of the increased need, she said.
The North Valley Food Bank is not part of the Flathead Food Bank, but it does get goods from the Montana Food Bank Network, Baldwin said. However, their meat options are running low and have pretty much been limited to sausage and eggs.
Aside from the increased need, Baldwin attributed the lack of meat to the warm weather. The North Valley Food Bank is qualified to take large road kill, such as moose or deer, when it has been processed, she said.
“With the weather so nice, critters are staying up in the hills and they’re not getting run over,” Baldwin said jokingly.
She said the food bank plans on putting together Easter baskets for its clients with plenty of eggs and hopefully some other goodies to help celebrate the holiday.
In Columbia Falls, Jan Von Lindern said their independent food bank is still faring well on meat, largely because they hoarded turkeys and hams from Christmas to save for Easter.
She said it is normal for donations to taper off after the holiday season, but local churches often support them to cover the need. And while they are doing well this month, Von Lindern said it is usually up in the air whether their supplies will stay steady going into the next month.
On the upside, the Flathead Food Bank has plenty of meat at this point, according to its representatives. This is not usually the case, they noted, but they were lucky this year.
Suzanne Stuber volunteers at the Bigfork Food Pantry. She said they have seen their client numbers double recently, but the community has come through with contributions in a big way. And as a member of the Flathead Food Bank system, Stuber said Bigfork should have meat as long as the bigger bank does.
If a food bank is suffering from a lack of meat, it’s probably because of the time of year, Stuber said. The fall and holiday season often generate plenty of donations, but people tend to forget about food banks once the weather turns pleasant, Stuber said.
Baldwin, who was in high spirits despite the bustle at the North Valley Food Bank, said they are always open to donations, whether it be monetary or processed wild game.
“There’s a need and anything (people) can do to help would be appreciated,” Baldwin said.
Contact the West Shore Food Bank at 261-4560 or P.O. Box 192, Lakeside, 59922. To contact the North Valley Food Bank, call 862-5863. For the Flathead Food Bank, call 752-3663.