RONAN — As with many charitable organizations, upholding the core values that embody the “holiday spirit” extends throughout the year at the Bread Basket food pantry in Ronan. However, this special season usually coincides with a spike in activity, as the facility - and others like it - face increased demand from members of the community who need a hand making the season bright for their families.

The Bread Basket was founded in 1987, but as volunteer Kristine Meili notes, “it’s grown a lot since then.” Though the pantry has undergone changes in that time, the mission of helping those in need has remained the same.

According to Meili, a staff of over 30 volunteers work to serve approximately 150-200 families that rely on the facility each month for various food staples.

Last Friday morning, a group of six volunteers could be found at the center, manning their stations and outfitting clients with pasta, soup, eggs, milk and other basic necessities.

Traditional holiday food items such as stuffing, jello and cake mixes also curry favor this time of year. “The stuff that any of us here would use for Christmas dinner,” explained Nancy Williams, Bread Basket treasurer and board member, who has volunteered at the facility for the past decade.

Williams was joined in one of the stockrooms by fellow volunteer Carol Werner, who said that in recent years, “it seems like the need [at the pantry] is growing.”

While the dedicated team of volunteers deserve recognition for their selflessness, they humbly say that the pantry’s success is truly the product of community-wide giving.

“Harvest Foods and Mission Mart have been wonderful about donating food or giving it to us at a good price,” says Meili, listing food sources that help keep the shelves stocked.

“The schools have been great about bringing in food,” she continues. “[And] people bring in their fresh vegetables and fruit from their gardens.”

The effort is further supported by contributions from the Montana Food Bank Network and a wide-range of churches and other organizations throughout the area. Meat is always a coveted item, and the recent donations of filleted lake trout from the Mack Days fishing derby have helped in that area.

“We’ll be getting a $5,000 check soon from Town Pump,” Williams said, alluding to the company’s recent food bank fundraiser.

“All of those [donations] make a difference,” she added.

Werner says that volunteering at the facility is made all the more gratifying by the appreciative clientele.

“The people that come in here are really neat and very grateful,” says Werner.

That gratitude is echoed by the Bread Basket, itself.

“We could not survive without the town and the people being so generous,” said Meili.

While the issue of hunger gets much-needed attention around the holidays, the Bread Basket and its staff are aware that it affects hard-working, everyday people all year long.

“All of us at some point in our life could have used someplace like this,” says Williams, reflecting on the Bread Basket’s importance. “It’s just the right thing to do.”