New name, new location for vital food program

By CHRIS PETERSON

Hungry Horse News

An organization that has been feeding Columbia Falls and Canyon children and seniors for years has a new name and will soon have a new location.

Lands to Hand, formerly Farm Hands — Nourish the Flathead, was recently given the green light to move its building near Glacier Gateway Elementary School to the Wildcat Garden at the Junior High School.

The building is modular and is designed to be moved, noted executive director Gretchen Boyer. The nonprofit 501(c)3 has been instrumental in making sure elementary school children have enough to eat over the weekends through its school backpack program, which sends home meals for every school child whose family requests it.

Right now they provide 350 to 400 meals a week, and also provide food for kids during the summer months.

They also have a “fresh snack” Friday, where kids get locally grown produce to snack on. Last fall they bought 7,500 pounds of carrots from local farmers for the program.

The building will see a makeover after its moved to its new location at the junior high, Boyer saidremodel both the interior and exterior as well.

Moving the building was recently approved by the School District 6 board. It’s a natural fit for the organization, as it also runs the Wildcat Garden at the junior high which features a large orchard as well as a native plant garden and traditional vegetable plots.

In addition, Land to Hand also runs educational cooking and nutrition classes at the junior high and elementary schools under instructor Whitney Pratt.

Last fall alone more than 1,000 students attended classes.

“Kids who grow and cook their own food are more likely to try new and different foods,” Pratt noted. It also helps them connect with the land. For example, a student found one of the garden’s prized pumpkins smashed last fall by someone. Instead of throwing it away, the student put it in the compost pile where, eventually, it would do some good.

Adult classes are also on the horizon.

“We want (the garden) to be a place the community can be part of,” Pratt said.

The program also supports about 40 local farmers, whose produce in turn, can be had at a discount rate to consumers through various programs. Look for their booth at the Columbia Falls Farmers’ market during the summer.

The building move and remodel is supported by grants from the Bayne Foundation, The Marie Eccles Caine Foundation, The Whitefish Community Foundation and private donations.

To date, they’ve raised about $80,000 of a goal of more than $200,000 for he building move and remodel.

They’ve also received support through the Parkside Credit Union where they receive cross-promotion, shared advertising, and a donation of $5,000 from the credit union.

The School District when it approved moving the building also approved $7,500 toward Land to Hand’s programs.

To lean more about the organization and to support its efforts, go to its website at:https://landtohandmt.org

“We’re also always looking for volunteers,” noted Andrea Getts, outreach and volunteer coordinator for the organization..