GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Thanksgiving is the busiest time of year for the Great Falls Community Food Bank, where nearly one million pounds of food move through the warehouse annually to help supply organizations across the community.
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Unlike a traditional pantry, the Great Falls Community Food Bank primarily supplies other nonprofit organizations that provide food and meals to people in need.
Executive Director Shaun Tatarka says more than 70 agencies rely on the Food Bank, including schools, churches, group homes and other food programs.
“Thanksgiving is our busiest time of the year. No question about it,” Tatarka said. “Way more than even Christmas.”
Tatarka says demand has been steadily increasing over the last three to four years as households face higher everyday expenses.
“With grocery prices and with rent prices going up, the need is definitely still there,” Tatarka said.
Nearly one million pounds out the door
The Great Falls Community Food Bank distributes nearly one million pounds of food annually.
Its 2025-26 materials say the organization supplies more than 75 charitable agencies, along with programs that directly support local schoolchildren.
Those organizations rely on the Food Bank to help keep their own kitchens, pantries and meal programs supplied.
One of them is Many Rivers Whole Health.
Assistant Operations Manager Bridgette Burger shops at the Food Bank for supplies used in group homes.
“We come here for our basic needs to fill our shelves at home or in the group homes,” Burger said.
Burger says she picks up products including hamburger, bread, fruits and vegetables before purchasing other ingredients elsewhere to build meals around what is available.
She also looks for versatile pantry foods such as canned soup, tomato sauce, tomato paste and canned fruits and vegetables.
The food helps provide breakfast, lunch and dinner for Many Rivers group homes serving between eight and 16 clients.
‘The shelves are becoming more bare’
Burger says she has noticed increased use of the Food Bank.
“There’s probably more people starting to use the food bank,” Burger said. “They've found our little gem that we have. The shelves are becoming more bare.”
That makes the flow of donations particularly important heading into the holidays.
Tatarka estimates roughly 70% of the Food Bank’s donations arrive during November, December and January.
“This is the time of year that we really count on the public because we see an increase, we see an uptick,” Tatarka said.
Tatarka says both food and monetary donations have advantages.
Cash can stretch further because the Food Bank can purchase products in bulk. Individual food donations, however, give agencies more variety than the Food Bank might get when purchasing large quantities of one product.
Transportation is another factor. Tatarka says the Food Bank buys from brokers around the country in addition to purchasing products locally, and higher transportation costs can make bringing food into Great Falls more expensive.
For the Great Falls Community Food Bank, Thanksgiving therefore represents both heightened demand and one of its most important donation periods of the year.
With more than 70 agencies relying on the Food Bank, Tatarka says keeping the shelves stocked means keeping food moving in as quickly as it goes out.
