The Great Plains Food Bank has officially delivered meal number 175 million. It was packaged and loaded onto our truck at the Fargo warehouse before being delivered to Ministry on the Margins, one of our partner agencies in Bismarck the following day.

The Great Plains Food Bank officially began operations in 1983 by delivering 189,000 meals in its first year. More than three-and-a-half decades later, distribution has increased to 12.5 million meals annually.

The Great Plains Food Bank added a total of 22 new feeding sites specifically designed to combat childhood hunger in 2019.

The new additions come from expansion of our School Pantry Program (10 new locations), Youth Summer Meals Program (nine new sites) and BackPack Program (three new sites). Each year, the Great Plains Food Bank provides needed food assistance to more than 97,000 hungry individuals; 37 percent of those being children.

Read more about this exciting announcement HERE .

The Great Plains Food Bank was recently featured for innovation demonstrated within our Mobile Food Pantry and Pop-up Perishable Food Program in the 2019 Hunger Innovation Report released by No Kid Hungry.

Seeing that many of our clients struggled with stigma and standing in long lines in the midst of cold North Dakota winters, the Great Plains Food Bank shifted its rural outreach distributions to a drive through style that allowed clients to remain in their cars, helping with both issues. The subtle change proved overwhelmingly positive for those involved and No Kid Hungry took notice.

In commending the change, the report stated, "Great Plains' innovative solution to hunger (Mobile Food Pantry) had to get more innovative."

You can find more from the report HERE .

Save the date!

DECEMBER 3 the Great Plains Food Bank once again needs your help this #GivingTuesday.

Throughout the 24 hours of December 3, donations made to the Great Plains Food Bank will be MATCHED giving you an even greater opportunity to make an impact in the fight to end hunger.

Follow the Great Plains Food Bank on Facebook and Twitter for ways to give that day and find more information HERE .

There are times when there is not enough food in the house to feed LoShay's family of six. Both her parents work hard, but still struggle to put enough food on the table.

The backpack LoShay receives each week through the Great Plains Food Bank BackPack Program helps supplement those times when food is scarce.

Read LoShay's full story and others HERE .