Summer meal program expands to C-Falls, Canyon

North Valley Food Bank and Farm Hands-Nourish the Flathead have teamed up with the Whitefish School District this summer to bring free lunch to children in Columbia Falls, Hungry Horse, Martin City, and Coram.

The organizations’ leaders have been hard at work accessing grants, mapping routes, purchasing a van, fundraising, hiring a summer meals driver, and launching the new sites.

The unmet need in the targeted areas is high, according to Gretchen Boyer, Farm Hands’ executive director, who has been studying the issue over the past three summers.

“We just haven’t been able to find an organization to tackle the issue. Programs like these require upfront costs and infrastructure that none of us have on our own,” Boyer said. When she learned that North Valley Food Bank’s new executive director, Jessy Lee, has a background in increasing childhood nutrition infrastructure, she jumped on the opportunity.

Their hard work is paying off.

“We are serving well over a hundred children a day already — and we launched June 17,” Lee said in a press release, noting that Horine Park in Columbia Falls is the busiest site. “We served nearly 70 children at Horine on Tuesday. It’s pretty incredible.”

Jay Stagg’s kitchen team at the Whitefish School District has been serving summer meals to Whitefish kids since 2014. Their partnership with the new program gives them the ability to keep more staff employed this summer. The Summer Food Service Program reimburses the district for meals served that typically covers staffing overhead.

“We couldn’t be happier for this collaboration,” Stagg stated. “We know that we are helping kids and families get through the summer. That’s all that matters.”

Lunches are served Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Horine Park in Columbia Falls; 12 to 12:30 p.m. at Boys and Girls Club in Columbia Falls; 11:50 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. at Martin City Fire Hall; and 12:30 to 1 p.m. at Canyon Community Church in Coram.

Lunch is served at the Canyon School in Hungry Horse on Fridays from 11:15 to 11:45 a.m.

North Valley Food Bank is currently raising moeny to support the purchase of the delivery van. The nonprofit hopes to raise around $17,000 in the coming weeks. If you would like to donate, go to the website at www.northvalleyfoodbank.org or mail a check to North Valley Food Bank, 251 Flathead Ave., Whitefish, MT 59937.