Even with larger building the Bigfork Food Pantry faces increasing need

Ann Tucker carried a case of peanut butter through the door of the Bigfork Food Pantry, set it down and went back outside for more.

“I don’t know where we’re going to put all this,” she said.

Storage space is just one problem the Bigfork Food Pantry is dealing with as their clientele continues to grow. They also need donations.

The pantry, at 7545 Montana 35, took in about 1,700 pounds of food from the Montana Food Bank Network and the Flathead Food bank on Thursday, the food from Montana Food Bank Newtwork they paid for.

Tucker, who is the director of the pantry, said they have to purchase about 70 percent of the food they give out. While food from the Montana Food Bank Network and Flathead Food Bank comes at a significantly discounted price, what’s available is limited, and the deliveries are infrequent, coming every six weeks.

The Bigfork pantry distributes about 4,000 pounds of food every month.

The problem with storage space is new. The pantry relocated to their current location on Montana 35, five years ago from a significantly smaller space.

“We thought we had died and moved to heaven when we got to this place,” Tucker said. But in those five years the number of families they’ve served has almost doubled. Now, “We’re so cramped for space,” Tucker said.

Part of the cramping comes from trying to accommodate the increase in use. The pantry services about 60 families, varying in size from a single person to a family of seven.

They distribute on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month, providing a family with three days worth of food. Families must be at 150 percent of poverty to receive food from the pantry.

“We are just a supplemental food source,” Tucker said.

Tucker attributes the increase in use to rising food prices and living expenses.

“It just costs more for a family to make it,” she said.

While they serve a lot of seniors, Tucker said there are also a fair amount of children.

According to 2012 statistics from the Flathead Food Bank, 18 percent of people living in the Flathead Valley don’t know where their next meal will come from, and over a third of those people are children.

“They’re not transients,” she said. “They’re people who live here in Bigfork.”

The Pantry has a room of shelves, stacked to the top, and five freezers, which really isn’t enough space to store perishable foods that are cheaper in bulk. While Tucker would love if they could acquire a walk-in freezer, she’s more concerned about getting enough donations, both food and monetary, and making sure the community knows the Pantry is there, and serves a purpose.

“Our food donations have dropped off significantly,” Tucker said.

The pantry works closely with several area churches, and gets a lot of donations that way, but they still spend about $1,500 every month on rent, utilities and food. The Pantry operates entirely on donations.

“We try to be good stewards of the money and food that’s given us,” Tucker said. “We pinch pennies.

Overall, despite their continuing needs due to higher usage, the Pantry is grateful for the support they do get from the community.

Tucker said, anyone looking to donate food, non-perishable items that aren’t near their expiration dates are appreciated. Monetary donations can be sent to P.O. Box 850, Bigfork MT, 59911.

“I want people to know we’re here, and we’re fulfilling a need.”