North Valley Food Bank has begun an expansion of its building with the goal of increasing its food distribution capacity and offering more services in the future.

The project looks to expand the Flathead Avenue building in order to increase refrigeration and freezer space to store and distribute perishable food. The food bank would also like to expand its dry-goods warehouse space and loading dock to keep up with additional delivery routes.

In the past year the food bank has responded to a dramatic increase in food bank customers and provided more than 30,000 weekly groceries to families in Whitefish as well as those living between Essex to the Yaak.

About 500 people per week use the food bank’s drive-thru food distribution services and in the past year, the food bank has added four mobile pantries in Essex, Evergreen, Trego and Olney. The food bank has also been backstopping smaller food pantries throughout the Flathead by shuttling food to them in a refrigerated truck.

During 2020, the food bank moved more than 500,000 pounds of food through its building.

What seemed like a more than adequate food bank building for Whitefish when it was built is now “bursting at the seams” with all the food passing through it, according to the food bank.

The food bank moved into its current building in December of 2013.

Later this year when the pandemic subsides, the food bank also plans to switch to a “choice model” pantry offering customers the option of choosing the food they would like to have each week instead of receiving pre-loaded boxes in the drive-thru. The expansion of the building will assist with this change.

This grocery store model has the potential to reduce food waste since people will only receive the food they have selected for themselves, according to the food bank, which says it supports the more dignified approach of allowing customers to select their own food.

In the final phase of the renovation project, the food bank intends to install a commercial kitchen. This would allow the food bank team to offer food preparation skills training to targeted groups such as youth-at-risk and developmentally disabled adults with the goal of finding jobs for them at Whitefish’s many restaurants and hotels. The commercial kitchen would also allow the food bank to preserve more food from local growers for distribution to its customers.

The food bank is launching a capital campaign to raise the funds to pay for the construction and equipment costs.

Contributions have already been received by the Foley Family Foundation, Kiita Foundation, Flathead Electric’s Round-Up for Safety program, and the Tom and Teresa Quinn Fund at the Whitefish Community Foundation. To contribute, consider making a donation by check or in person at 251 Flathead Avenue, Whitefish or online at northvalleyfoodbank.org. For more information contact Sophie Albert, Executive Director of the food bank, at sophie@northvalleyfoodbank.org.