GREAT FALLS — As the holiday season continues, the Great Falls Community Food Bank is working to support a growing need across Cascade County. With a mission to strengthen food security for local families, they say this time of year is vital, and community donations make the biggest impact.
Executive director Shaun Tatarka says the food bank acts as the supply line behind the region’s hunger-relief efforts.
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“We serve more than 70 different agencies in Cascade County,” Tatarka said. “In the war on hunger, we supply the weapons. We’re not on the front lines, but we supply the food that goes out to the public.”
The food bank provides groceries to pantries, shelters, youth programs, and nonprofit partners across the county. They also help operate food programs for children, including the Backpacks for Kids initiative, which serves students from pre-K through eighth grade.
And while the need for food support grows during the winter months, Tatarka says the increase in holiday giving is just as significant.
“The holiday season is definitely our busiest,” he explained. “We rely on November and December for 60 to 70 percent of our income and food donations. By the end of the year, we’re pretty flush… but it doesn’t last long.”
Because summer donations decline sharply, the food bank works to “squirrel away” as many resources as possible heading into the winter, knowing those supplies will have to stretch into the warmer months, when hunger remains, but donations slow.
“Hunger doesn’t take a vacation,” Tatarka said. “People are paying attention this time of year, so we really need to take advantage of that to get through those lean months of June, July, and August.”
One event that boosts donations for the food bank is KRTV’s Day of Giving.
In 2024, the event helped bring in $3,343 in donations and 1,174 pounds of food, along with, just as importantly, public awareness.
“The Day of Giving is hugely important for us. It raises thousands of pounds of food and thousands of dollars… but it also raises a lot of awareness,” he said. “And it’s a lot of fun, we get to be out there meeting the public.”
As they prepare for the months ahead, the food bank says they remain grateful for every contribution the community makes.
“It raises a lot of awareness, so that’s very important to us,” Tatarka added. “We are really grateful to be a part of it.”
This year’s Day of Giving will take place on December 9th at both Albertsons locations in Great Falls.
The Great Falls Community Food Bank will be on site collecting food donations and financial contributions to support their programs year-round.
