Food banks see rise in need across Montana as COVID-19 assistance programs expire

BOZEMAN, Mont. — Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have fallen on challenging times. But four years after the official declaration of the global pandemic, assistance programs are expiring, and the need for help is exploding.

It’s something that the Montana Food Bank Network president, Gayle Carlson, has witnessed statewide.

“Without that additional support system, our pantries are really seeing a high level of need,” said Carlson. “Not just the number of families that are coming (for) help, but also in the frequency in which they're depending on their pantries.”

Carlson says food insecurity is affecting Montanans across the board as the cost of living rises, noting that many community members turning to food banks for help are fully employed.

“Many of them are employed and have maybe one or two jobs apiece in the household, but it just isn't sufficient enough to be able to meet all of the expenses, of which part of that is food,” said Carlson.

Approximately 11.2% of households in Montana are facing food insecurity. That’s about one in nine people.

Statewide, that average is lower than the national average of 12.8%. But some areas of the state have food insecurity rates well above that, with some of the state’s highest rates of food insecurity currently being seen in Glacier (19.2%), Blaine (19.2%), Roosevelt (16.7%), Mineral (15.7%) and Big Horn (15.3%) counties.

“Most of our population density is on the western part within those major communities of Helena and Bozeman and Kalispell and Billings, and so (any) of those small rural communities you think of when you drive through (Montana), sometimes the only access they have is their local convenience store or a small grocery store,” said Carlson.

What Carlson is describing are food deserts. Defined by the USDA as an area where people have to travel 10 miles or more to get to the nearest supermarket, she says the distance is as much as five times that in some parts of the state.

“That’s not always accessible on a regular basis,” said Carlson. “It's expensive. Fuel costs are expensive. The food is expensive.”

Of Montana’s 56 counties, at least 30 are considered food deserts, and for the approximately 72,000 people living in these communities, access to nutritious and affordable food is a challenge.

One way the Montana Food Bank Network is combating the challenge is through mobile food pantries and Mail A Meal boxes. They’ve also helped to launch food pantries in areas that have limited resources with the help of their partner network.

Currently 360 partners strong, consisting of food banks and other organizations across the state, Carlson says their goal is to continue building the capacity of the network to meet need into the future.

Also vital to their mission is community support through donations and volunteer hours. After all, the pandemic proved that anyone could find themselves in a situation where they might need a little extra help.

“You could be one rent payment or one mortgage payment way from wiping out your savings,” said Carlson. “There's no embarrassment, there's nothing, all of us could at some point in time could need these services.”