Local support for local families.

No images? Click here

 GVFB NEWS

 LOCAL SUPPORT FOR LOCAL FAMILIES 

March 2024

IN THIS ISSUE

  • Note from Jill

  • Upcoming Food Drives

  • Thank Yous

  • People of GVFB

  • General Updates

  • Warming Center

  • Upcoming Events

 
Photo: a shopping cart with two hands on the handle. The shopping cart handle says "Welcome - Bienvenidos"

PC: Townsend Collective

Note from Jill

Dear Friend, 

We are settling into our new home and so many of the efficiencies that we hoped we would gain have started to come to fruition. No longer are we moving food from warehouse to bus barn and back. No longer are the Fork & Spoon staff shuttling food. While I am thrilled with our capacity and efficiency, I get the most emotional about our new sense of community. Being housed together, we now define every sense of community (location, interests, goals). In HRDC’s last needs assessment survey, respondents spoke of a lack of social connections. It is in this new home that we will build connections now more than ever before. I look forward to sharing new programming and opportunities!

Gratefully,

Jill Holder, HRDC Food & Nutrition Director

Upcoming Food Drives

Photo: A digital drawing of a person wearing skis and winter clothing. There are words around the image that say "Help Us Carve Out Hunger"

TOMORROW!
Carve Out Hunger
March 23, 8 am - 2 pm
Bridger Bowl Ski Area

Carve Out Hunger is our annual food drive with Bridger Bowl! For every 15 cans donated, receive a voucher for a $25 lift ticket and an entry to win an adult 2024/25 season pass!

 
Photo: This is a logo for the Spring for Food event. The logo has digital drawings of fruits and vegetables on the top and the words "Spring for Food" on the bottom.

Spring for Food
April 6, 10 am - 3 pm

Help us spring for food on April 6 by shopping at your favorite grocery store or volunteering your time!  Learn more or sign up to volunteer at springforfood.com. Our goal this year is 15,000 pounds!

 
 
Photo: The logo for the Stamp Out Hunger food drive. It shows a red stamp with text that says "National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive"

Stamp Out Hunger
May 11

The National Association of Letter Carriers organizes this annual food drive across the country. Participate by leaving food donations outside your mailbox on Saturday, May 11 and your local postal worker will pick them up!

Thank You!

Photo: Eight food bank staff in the food bank store standing in front of two aisles of non-perishable foods. Three of the staff are holding up signs that together read "Thank you Jackson Contractor Group $10,000 Match"

Jackson Contractor Group supported us this winter with an incredible $10,000 donation match! We met their match and are so grateful for how they are helping us start the new year off strong.

 
Photo: Five boy scout members in the food bank warehouse. They are wearing boy scout uniforms and all have their thumbs up. They are standing in front of two carboard bins and one cart of food donations.

The Mountain Valley District Boy Scouts organized another Scouting for Food drive for us this winter. This year they collected 3,439 pounds of food and $988.71! Thank you to our dedicated scouts and donors!

 
Photo: A bunch of envelopes are scattered across the photo that all have labels with the Pack the Sack logo on them. The logo says "Pack the Sack" and has hearts around the words. On top of the envelopes there is a jar that also has the Pack the Sack logo on it.

We want to thank Bozeman Schools Foundation and local students and families for making another Pack the Sack fundraiser possible. Last year's Pack the Sack provided $25,000 for the Healthy KidsPack program, and we look forward to sharing this year's total!

 
Photo: 17 second grade elementary school students in the food bank warehouse. They are lined up in two rows and three adult chaperones are behind them. They are all smiling.

Ridge View Elementary kids are awesome!! These students shopped for 488 pounds of groceries for GVFB and stopped by to unload every item. Shout out to Ms. Anderson and her caring students!

People of GVFB

Photo: Our new program manager, Ali. She is in a sunny field of grass and daisies and is smiling.

Ali Thornton - Program Manager

From Ali: 
I am extremely excited to join the food bank as the Programs Manager. My role is to support our amazing staff and to develop, oversee, and assess our customer-facing programs. I've lived and worked in our community for over 10 years and I'm deeply committed to creating an equitable and accessible local food system that benefits everyone!  

We are so excited to have Ali on our team! Read her full bio here. 

General Updates

Photo: A graphic of text with colorful decorative lines within it. The text says "Kids Summer Lunch - We Are Hiring - Open Positions: Summer Lunch Associate - Potential opportunities for internship credit at MSU, and AmeriCorps Vista Positions. Reach out to summerlunch@thehrdc.org to learn more. The image also has the Summer Lunch logo. The logo has a tree and a picnic table and on the tree are the words "Kids Summer Lunch Program"

We are hiring Summer Lunch Associates! Learn more here or email summerlunch@thehrdc.org.

 

Donation Needs

See our wish list below! We are also looking for:

  • Stainless steel pot and pan sets (for the learning kitchen!)
  • Egg cartons (cardboard dozens only)
  • Reusable tote bags

If you aren't able to donate food or supplies, please consider donating your time at Spring for Food.
 

We need Food Rescue drivers!

We are looking for volunteers to help us pick up food donations from local stores and businesses! We collected 900,000 pounds of donations through Food Rescue last fiscal year, and our drivers make this possible.

Learn More

HRDC Highlight

The Gallatin Valley Food Bank is a program run by HRDC. HRDC is a nonprofit Community Action Agency serving Southwest Montana. HRDC has over forty programs across various service areas, including the Warming Center.

Photo: The Warming Center logo. The logo is a simple digital drawing of a house with four windows. One of the windows is in the shape of a heart. There is smoke coming out of the top of the house. The text at the bottom of the logo says "Warming Center A program of HRDC"

Warming Center

HRDC's Warming Center offers emergency shelter to anyone in need, including families with children, single adults, and couples. The space provides each individual or group with separate sleeping areas, and trained staff and volunteers are on-site at all times during operating hours.

In 2025, Warming Center services will transition over to Homeward Point, the second building of HRDC's Community Commons. Homeward Point will be Bozeman's first and only year-round emergency shelter and resource hub to integrate services to make homelessness rare, brief, and one-time.

Visit the HRDC website to support Homeward Point and stay updated on its progress.

The Warming Center could also use support with their supply drive.

Photo: An aerial photo taken by a drone of HRDC's Community Commons. It shows our current building, Market Place, next to the future Homeward Point building which is currently being built. It is shown here as a construction site.
Photo: A digital mockup image of what the inside of a Homeward Point bunk room might look like. There room is full of bunk beds and horizontal lights hanging from an angled ceiling. There are transparent images of people that almost look like shadows. They show examples of what the space would look like with people in it.

Upcoming Events

Photo: A graphic of boxes full of produce with the food bank's logo on the boxes

Ongoing: Support the Fork & Spoon with their 10 in 10 ($10,000 in 10 weeks) fundraiser! (Also, check out their new menu!)

March 23: Carve Out Hunger at Bridger Bowl (8 am-2 pm)

March 28: HRDC's Bingo Fundraiser supporting senior services

April 6: Spring for Food (10 am-3 pm)

April 19: GVFB is closed for staff meetings

May 3-4: We will be at Spring MADE Fair!

May 11: Letter Carriers' Stamp Out Hunger food drive

May 27: GVFB is closed for Memorial Day

Belgrade Mobile Distribution: March 25, April 8, April 22, May 6, May 20

 

GVFB Wish List

  • Fresh Produce
  • Masa Harina
  • Granola Bars
  • Diced Green Chiles
  • Shelf-Stable Milk
  • Microwavable Meals (ramen, easy mac, etc.)
  • Pasta
  • Peanut Butter 16oz
  • Cereal
  • Rice
  • Pantry Staples like Flour, Sugar, Oil, and Spices
  • Diapers size 3 and up
  • Baby Wipes
  • Baby Formula
  • Toilet Paper
  • Laundry Detergent
 

Donation Hours:
Monday-Thursday 9 am-4 pm
Friday 9 am-12 pm

Non-perishable donations can be dropped off outside of these hours in our donation bins at local grocery stores.

Photo: A few bags of pasta and beans on a counter. A person's torso and hand are visible in the image and their hand is reaching toward a bag of beans.

Follow us on social media!

InstagramFacebook
 

Gallatin Valley Food Bank News

This newsletter was sent by the Gallatin Valley Food Bank, a program run by HRDC.

HRDC is a nonprofit Community Action Agency serving Southwest Montana.

This email was sent to you because you have indicated an interest in updates regarding our work. If you no longer wish to receive these, please unsubscribe.

Preferences  |  Unsubscribe