Over 8,000 food boxes distributed to Mission Valley families
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News from WMGC and LCCDC
Western Montana Growers Cooperative and Lake County Community Development Corporation have worked together to distribute nearly 8,500 food boxes to families in need in Western Montana since July and an additional 1,000 will be distributed by mid-December.
This collaboration has supported the local food system, provided thousands of dollars in income to local producers and supplied nutritious food to Montana families.
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted food access for many Montana families and disrupted markets for local farmers. The Farmers to Families Food Box Program helped bridge this gap by providing fresh, locally-sourced produce to families in need while supporting local farmers who lost markets due to closures of schools and restaurants.
The WMGC sources and delivers fresh produce to LCCDC’s Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center, a USDA and FDA-inspected food processing facility, where the produce is packed into family-sized boxes. The boxes are then distributed to families in need by food pantries and other emergency food organizations. Food distribution sites include Salish Kootenai College Community Health and Development Department, Polson Loaves and Fish Pantry, Ronan Bread Basket, Arlee Community Development Corporation, Mission Valley Food Pantry, Montana Co-op, Flathead Reservation Community Action and All Nations Health Center.
WMGC and MMFEC will continue distributing food boxes through mid-December. In addition to fresh, regionally-sourced produce, the remaining boxes will also include local eggs and cheese to add sources of protein and expand the nutritional value of the boxes. MMFEC was also able to purchase turkeys for the November and December holidays, which will be distributed with the food boxes to the partner distribution sites. WMGC and MMFEC are excited to be able to offer these additional items to support families during the holidays as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact Montana communities. The final distribution day for the food boxes will be Dec. 17.
WMGC provides wholesale marketing and delivery for their 40 member farms and aims to provide the region with high-quality and local food products. As a part of theLCCDC, a regional economic development 501(c)(3), the Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center is a community-based USDA and FDA-inspected food processing facility that provides client services to value added agriculture and specialty food businesses.
