Six-figure donation will immediately boost food purchasing during times of historic food shortages
FARGO, N.D. – The Otto Bremer Trust has awarded the Great Plains Food Bank a $100,000 grant that will immediately benefit hungry children, seniors and families throughout North Dakota and Clay County, Minn. The entire six-figure gift will be paid during the current fiscal year and assist the state’s largest hunger-relief organization in acquiring and distributing shelf-stable food to those in need.
The grant comes at a crucial time for the Great Plains Food Bank with food donation levels reaching their lowest point since 2018, when the organization was serving 30,000 fewer individuals. Along with soaring food costs, the lack of food donations led the Great Plains Food Bank to announce earlier this year an anticipated 1 million pound distribution shortfall during the current fiscal year, which equates to 800,000 fewer meals available for neighbors in need.
“We have an amazing partner in the fight to end hunger with Otto Bremer Trust,” Great Plains Food Bank CEO Melissa Sobolik said. “They, like us, truly believe in helping communities thrive and we are honored to continue our work together. The high cost of food and other basic needs has created incredible burdens on our clients, at a time when we as a food bank struggle to secure the food resources we need. Their support comes at an especially critical time, and we cannot thank them enough.”
Otto Bremer Trust has now awarded more than $800,000 in grants to the Great Plains Food Bank since 2010.
The grant is part of a package of 130 grants totaling $9.2 million awarded by Otto Bremer Trust to benefit charities in the region. Specifically, Otto Bremer Trust awarded more than $832,000 in grants to organizations throughout North Dakota and the Red River Valley.
About Otto Bremer Trust
The Otto Bremer Trust is a private charitable trust based in St. Paul, Minn. Created in 1944 by Otto Bremer, it is committed to supporting a better quality of life for residents of Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Since its founding, OBT has invested nearly $1 billion in people, places, and opportunities in its region. Visit ottobremer.org.
About the Great Plains Food Bank
Now in its 39th year, the Great Plains Food Bank serves as North Dakota’s only food bank. Its partner network includes nearly 200 food pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and other charitable feeding programs operating more than 100 communities across N.D. and Clay County, Minn. Since 1983, the Great Plains Food Bank, through its array of innovative direct service programs and partner network, have distributed more than 200 million meals to children, seniors, and families in need. The Great Plains Food Bank is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s food bank network, and was named the Not-for-Profit of the Year in 2018 by the Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo Chamber of Commerce.
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