During the holidays, food is a central part of celebrations – from feasts to hot cider, it brings us together. But for many people, food is a limited resource and rising prices the past couple of years have made access even harder. That’s where food banks, like the Gallatin Valley Food Bank in Bozeman, Montana step in.
GVFB’s mission is to end food insecurity in southwest Montana. They’re both a food bank and a food hub (storing food for smaller pantries in the surrounding counties). They serve an average of 85 households a day and make it as accessible as possible – no one must prove income, they just need to show up and let the GVFB know that they need food. Most folks can come in once every 14 days, people experiencing houselessness can come in even more frequently.
In addition, GVFB has more programs including the federal senior grocery program, summer lunch, kids pack lunch during the school year, food pantries in middle and high schools in town, nutritional education and a teaching kitchen where they host classes. Their sister program, the restaurant Fork & Spoon, operates by a pay-what-you-can concept – they focus on creating homemade meals for people at whatever price they can afford.
In 2023 and 2024, OGC gave GVFB unrestricted Mission Fund Grants that were used for food purchases.
“The cost of food has gone up; you just don’t get as much bang for your buck as you used to. It was an honor to receive these grants – we appreciate the support; it all makes a difference,” shared Administrative Assistant at GVFB, Laura Stonecipher. “We have an awesome community, it all ties together. I love that y’all are an organic company – we get requests for organic and are thrilled to be able to provide that for people.”
OGC’s Mission Fund Grant Program helps increase the accessibility of organic food to underserved or underrepresented communities, build equity in our regional farm and food system, and more. Gallatin Valley Food Bank is just one of the many organizations the Mission Fund supported in 2023 and 2024. Find a list of all our 2024 grant recipients here.
