Great Plains Food Bank works to end hunger in southwest North Dakota

DICKINSON — One in six people is impacted by starvation in North Dakota, in response to the Nice Plains Meals Financial institution. For almost 4 many years, the nonprofit group has offered thousands and thousands upon thousands and thousands of meals, every year, to these in want of help throughout the state of North Dakota and into western Minnesota.

In 2021, the Nice Plains Meals Financial institution served greater than 121,400 people — 34% kids and 17% seniors — displaying that meals insecurity is a matter even in an agricultural wealthy state similar to North Dakota, Communications Supervisor Jared Slinde stated in an interview with The Dickinson Press. Nonetheless, they’re engaged on ending starvation in each nook of the state, particularly in southwest North Dakota, Slinde added.

“We all know that individuals are relying on the Nice Plains Meals Financial institution and all these packages and companies to have the ability to fill (and) complement their dietary wants when they’re in want,” Slinde stated. “We see it on a regular basis. Even with 10 folks which are meals insecure, you are going to discover 10 completely different paths to how they obtained there. It is a medical difficulty, it is a lack of a job, they’re between jobs, excessive value of day care, it is a number of various things that come into play and everybody’s obtained their very own tales. So we perceive our position is extremely necessary within the state and positively in your communities on the market as nicely.”

The Nice Plains Meals Financial institution, which is the one meals financial institution in North Dakota, works throughout the state and particularly these residing in rural counties similar to Stark, Billings, Golden Valley, Hettinger, Slope, Adams and Bowman. In southwest North Dakota, the nonprofit operates a number of packages and companies, whereas additionally supplying meals for 11 associate meals pantries, three backpack packages and internet hosting cellular meals distributions all through the eight-county space.

These meals pantries are in a position to choose gadgets from contained in the Nice Plains Meals Financial institution warehouse, that are then shipped immediately to every meals pantry the place they’re made out there for shoppers in want. On common, the Nice Plains Meals Financial institution gives 80% of the meals that’s distributed by meals pantries within the community, in response to a press launch.

Serving greater than 121,400 people in 2021 all through North Dakota and Clay County in Minnesota, Slinde stated that they have been in a position to present 12.6 million meals — which is barely down from serving 145,000 people in 2020.

“COVID type of threw the world right into a tailspin and that was actually no completely different for us right here and people who want meals help,” Slinde stated. “However we’re nonetheless working at a degree that far exceeds something pre-pandemic. So there’s nonetheless quite a lot of want on the market.”

Since 1983, Slinde stated that they’ve realized that working with this mannequin, they’ve realized to adapt and put together for the sudden.

“I believe we have been by, on this group, by floods and a recession, and positively the pandemic — in my time right here — (has) simply been probably the most difficult time and thrown us the most important curve ball, that’s for positive,” he stated. “… What the pandemic taught us (and) confirmed us is we noticed meals donations completely plummet, or we have been pressured to do extra buying to offset a rise in want and all that was occurring at one time and what you realized is to have the ability to regulate on the fly and have the ability to accommodate various things… So it is simply adapt and overcome. We’re happening virtually 40 years right here now and that is what it comes down — to have sufficient drive to face so many various challenges.”

Every year, the nonprofit works to herald simply over $5 million with fundraisers to assist assist its meals help packages. Slinde famous that these funds are available by varied methods from grants, company items to particular person donations. For every greenback that’s raised, Nice Plains Meals Financial institution can present three meals, he added.

The necessity is there, Slinde stated, including that it’s not going away anytime quickly.

“So we’re environment friendly, actually in what we do with 96% every little thing raised can go proper again to offering meals help to these in want,” he stated. “Our mission right here is to finish starvation collectively and we would not have the ability to present these companies, actually at this degree, with out memberships and with out people in every neighborhood, and that actually works for the

Backpack Program in Dickinson

and all our companions on the market and the companions we’re working with in Amidon, Bowman, New England and everybody else.”