RURAL HUNGER
Ending Hunger Together
With 90 percent of the land in North Dakota dedicated to agriculture production, we want to do our part to feed those that feed the world. Those living in rural populations are faced with unique challenges such as limited resources, often no grocery story or needing to travel 30 miles to a food pantry that might only be open once a month. But this is where neighbors come together to help one another. Sensing a direct need here, the Great Plains Food Bank created its mobile food pantry to bring food directly to the hands of rural individuals in need.
According to the North DakotaCensus Office, NEARLY 75 PERCENT OF THE COUNTIES IN NORTH DAKOTA ARE CLASSIFIED AS COMPLETELY RURAL.
The Great Plains Food Bank remains committed to doing all we can to serve those with limited access to food assistance.
The Great Plains Food Bank currently serves rural populations through each one of our nine programs and services.
• Network of partner food pantries.
• Mobile food pantry.
• Senior food pack program.
• SNAP outreach.
• Backpack program.
• Youth summer meals program.
• School pantry program.
• Diaper Bank Network membership.
• Ending Hunger 2.0.
37%
Of those served each year by the Great Plains Food Bank are living in rural communities.
23%
are living in small towns across the state.
40%
live in urban communities.
MOBILE FOOD PANTRY
Created in 2008, the Great Plains Food Bank Mobile Food Pantry fills a need for food insecure individuals in rural locations by bringing food trucks directly into UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES.
Operated as a drive through distribution, clients remain in their vehicles as volunteers place fresh produce, boxed goods, bakery items, dairy items and meats immediately into the backs of vehicles.
Each area of the state is serviced through the mobile food pantry ONCE PER QUARTER. Stops for distributions are determined from communities that are a part of each route.
The mobile food pantry often stops in multiple rural communities in A SINGLE DAY.
All in need of food assistance are welcome to attend any mobile food pantry distribution.
PARTNER FOOD PANTRIES, SHELTERS, SOUP KITCHENS
The Great Plains Food Bank provides on average 80 PERCENT of the food distributed by our network of 200 partner food pantries across North Dakota and Clay County, Minn.
More than 40,000 VOLUNTEERS dedicate over 250,000 HOURS helping to operate food pantries across the state.
More than 10,000 households are served each month by Great Plains Food Bank partner food pantries.
Our network helps to serve each of the 53 counties in North Dakota.
Each year we award the Great Plains Food Bank Agency of the Year Award to our most outstanding partner food pantries.
Partner food pantries order items made available from either our Fargo warehouse or Bismarck regional service center. Those items are then shipped to the food pantry and delivered to those in need.
Information compiled from comprehensive Hunger in North Dakota 2018 study and Great Plains Food Bank annual review of statistics.
