About half a dozen volunteers stood in an assembly line putting cans, boxes and bags of food into paper grocery sacks last weekend: 132 bags to be exact. These were bags of food to be distributed to local families in need so they can enjoy a nice Thanksgiving dinner.

“We had more this year than last,” said the Mineral County Food Bank President, Amanda Gramata. Last year they had approximately 100 Thanksgiving dinners to hand out.

“I think there are more people moving into the county,” she said about the increase. “And people are experiencing cuts to their food stamps. Many are seniors and already don’t get much in food stamps and they really need the help.”

There are other area food banks including Alberton, St. Regis and in Missoula, “but the seniors have a hard time getting around,” she said.

Last week 57 clients came in, more than they have ever had. Each month the small bank distributes around 5,000 pounds of food and in the summer it can be even more because kids are out of school. Mineral County has more than 600 residents who receive financial assistance including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. However, food stamps don’t always cover the entire family needs which is why the food bank is so important.

Mineral is also considered a “food desert” which is a low-income area where residents must travel more than one mile to the nearest supermarket and may have limited access to fresh, affordable food. In this year’s Thanksgiving bag, families received stuffing, pancake mix, juice, yams, green beans, pasta, mixed fruit, and of course, a turkey.

The bank also handed out 200 pounds of potatoes, 200 pounds of onions and 200 pounds of apples. People began signing up to receive their dinners in September and they stopped taking names on Nov. 16. On Monday, Nov. 19, staff drove to Missoula to pick up the turkeys which were part of the Missoula Cherry Creek Radio Gorilla Food Drive. That drive received over 1,000 turkeys and $4,000 in cash donations for area food banks. The turkeys and food bags were then distributed Monday afternoon. After Gramata and her mother, food bank manager, Marlene Adair, called all 132 families to tell them pickup times.

Food insecurity is a big deal and in Montana 140,000 people live in homes where there isn’t enough, according to a 2014 report by Feeding America. Hunger and food insecurity are worse in Montana due to the underutilization of programs like SNAP, WIC, school breakfast and lunch programs and Summer Food Service programs. “Lack of knowledge about the programs, confusion over eligibility, limited program availability in some areas, as well as the stigma of participating in public programs are some of the reasons participation is not maximized,” according to a report by the Montana Food Network.

In Montana for one adult and two children, the annual income level is more than $59,000, or $4,930 per month, to cover living expenses. In Mineral County, the poverty rate is at 18.4 percent, 22 percent in Sanders County and 16.5 percent in Missoula County, according to the United States Census Bureau American Community Survey, making programs like the food bank important to the community.

“We are also looking for donations and volunteers,” said Gramata.

The food bank will not do Christmas dinners, but the Superior Lion’s Club gives baskets of food and gifts for families. People need to fill out an application by Dec. 7 in order to receive one. The food bank in Superior is open on Fridays from 10 until noon and 1 to 3 p.m. People need to sign up and bring proof of Mineral County residency along with income verification. They are located at 308 Pine Street in Superior. The Alberton Food Pantry is open on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month and is located on the east end of Frenchtown Rural Station #8 at 503 5th Street.