THE NETWORK
The Mission of The Montana Food Bank Network is:
Work to eliminate hunger in Montana through food acquisition and distribution, education and advocacy.
Background
Founded in 1983, the Montana Food Bank Network (MFBN) is a private nonprofit organization that solicits, gleans, sorts, repackages, warehouses and transports donated food and distributes it to charitable programs that directly serve needy families, children and seniors. From a main warehouse and office in Missoula, a branch warehouse in Miles City, and a Cannery located at Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge, MFBN distributes emergency food throughout all 56 counties in Montana. It is the largest centralized source of donated, emergency food in the state.
Montana Food Bank Network is one of over 200 members of America’s Second Harvest, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief charity. MFBN is also a member of the Western Region Food Bank Association “Dare to Share” which allows us to receive and share donated food with our closest neighbors in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and even Arizona.
Through leveraging power and economies of scale, we can provide the equivalent of 8 meals for every dollar donated to the Montana Food Bank Network. Our administrative and fundraising costs are just 9 percent of our total budget, so that means 91cents of every dollar donated goes to support programs to provide food for hungry Montanans.
How the Montana Food Bank Network Works
Food Banking is a simple and remarkably efficient idea. By soliciting the food industry for excess product or product with some packaging flaw, Montana Food Bank Network reduces food waste and feeds people at the same time.
The Montana Food Bank Network does not give food directly to hungry people. Instead, we seek bulk food donations from the food industry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, local retailers and wholesalers, and statewide produce recovery efforts through local farmers. MFBN does not compete with the agencies we serve. Instead, we supplement their efforts with foods not always available through local donations.
Our group of 154 agencies is composed of food pantries, rescue missions, senior citizen organizations, children’s programs, church groups, soup kitchens and reservation programs. We work hand in hand with them to achieve the greatest effect possible.
Our Canning Program
In 1998, MFBN teamed with the Montana Departments of Public Health and Human Services, Fish Wildlife & Parks, and the Montana Department of Corrections in the first-of-its-kind Cannery in Deer Lodge. There we take bulk quantities of donated product at their peak of freshness to be inexpensively but safely preserved into shelf-stable form. Confiscated wild game is also processed for distribution to our agencies.
We’re the Voice for Hungry Montanans
The Montana Food Policy Council is the advocacy arm of the Montana Food Bank Network. This Council is made up of members from public and private groups around the state. The Council works closely with our Director of Advocacy, collaborating with regional and national organizations as well as local and statewide groups, to effect policy changes that will benefit those most needy. The Food Policy Council interacts with State Legislators and our Congressional Delegates to assure that food programs are maximized to support Montanans.
Conclusion
The Network is Montana's only statewide hunger organization. Its physical assets (warehouses, trucks, cannery), economies of scale, network of agencies, link to America's Second Harvest, history of service, statistical infrastructure, range in the size and types of agencies served, personal relationships with hunger fighters at the root level statewide, talented and dedicated staff and growing presence in the state dictate its destiny as the pre-eminent direct service provider and Montana’s dominant hunger advocacy force. |
