Patricia Getz was one of 10 volunteers who gathered inside the Amidon Community Cupboard eagerly awaiting a shipment of food to arrive from the Great Plains Food Bank.
The items arriving provide a crucial resource for as many as 40 households each month in the small rural community where other resources are limited.
The group of volunteers share coffee and tell stories as they prepare to unload the truck from the Great Plains Food Bank. But no one has more stories to share than Patricia.
Now 90 years old, Patricia helped start the Amidon Community Cupboard in 1982. Over the past four decades, she has helped thousands of neighbors including children, older adults, families, people with disabilities and everyone in between that have come in to use the food pantry.
The Amidon Community Cupboard provides a safe haven for many, which includes Patricia herself. Living on a fixed-income and no longer able to drive, Patricia utilizes the food pantry regularly when needed. It has allowed her the means to remain living in the community she loves.
“I would do without a lot of things,” Patricia said when asked what she would do without the help of the Amidon Community Cupboard. “Anyone can come here and get what they need. It’s all very nice.”
Each volunteer at the Amidon Community Cupboard values the importance of looking after their neighbors in such a rural area. With a population of just 23 according to the latest census, Amidon lacks a grocery store or gas station. The nearest option for groceries is Bowman, which is 25 miles away.
The food pantry is convenient for the 30-40 households it serves each month as well. Many travel from neighboring towns and farms to access the nutritious food they need.
“It makes you feel real good,” Patricia said about how the Amidon Community Cupboard is helping people. “And everybody here works. It isn’t just a couple of people that do everything. The whole community comes together and does the things that need to get done.”
The Amidon Community Cupboard greatly relies on the food it receives from the Great Plains Food Bank, which you help provide. Without this service and without your support, many families in southwest North Dakota would be unsure where their next meal is coming from.
To learn more about the Great Plains Food Bank partner network serving our neighbors communities with limited resources visit HERE.
