Livingston Food Pantry of Park County

Food Pantry the Livingston Food Pantry is now serving more than 600 households per month, with nearly 400,000 pounds of Food distributed in 2022. During covid-19 we adjusted our distribution model to adapt to the changes that arose from the pandemic. We are now back to our self-select model, with clients shopping in our store. Our focus on local foods has increased dramatically wtih our shelves regularly stocked with local meats and produce. To support local farmers and clients, in 2022 we purchased more than 6,000 pounds of fresh vegetables. These vegetables were processed in our kitchen and frozen, allowing us to distribute local vegetables throughout the winter. We have also increased our production of homemade, ready-to-eat items such as soups, pasta sauce, and frozen meals, utilizing as much local Food as possible. In 2022, Park County was hit with a devastating flood that impacted our community. Many families faced Food insecurity for the first time. In response to this, the lfrc distributed more than 8,000 pounds of Food directly to flood victims in the immediate aftermath of the event. To meet its goal of providing the most healthful Food possible to people in need, the Livingston Food Pantry bakes its own fresh bread for distribution in the Pantry. The nutritious whole wheat bread is made using Montana grown, organic flour and grain. The bread is so good that it became popular in the community and people started to visiting the Pantry just to buy bread. In response to the opportunity to make the bread more widely available, the Pantry expanded its baking capacity to create more artisan breads and pastries and opening a public bakery nearby. The bakery has proven so successful that in 2021 it was expanded. The bakery success illustrates how the Livingston Food Pantry works to address the root causes of poverty and hunger. First, people in need to come to the Pantry for help get the most nutritious fresh bread available. Second, the revenues generated has created a new market for Montana farmers. Third, it supports five new jobs plus an apprenticeship. And finally, it helps subsidize the cost of the bread made for distribution in the Pantry - and bread that is made available to other Food pantries in Montana at no cost. In 2022, our bakery made 11,000 loaves of whole wheat bread for other Food pantries in Montana. This surpassed our goal of 5,000.

Community kitchen and meeting room facilities the building includes a commercial kitchen and a meeting room that can seat approximately 60 persons. The meeting room is rented at a nominal cost to other local and state nonprofits, as well as other customers. These meetings often include related catering, prepared by staff in the kitchen. Staff also process foods to be distributed through the Food Pantry, including baked goods, packaged fresh vegetables and meats, soups, stews, and other prepared meals for use in the community programs. Another use of the kitchen is in processing bulk orders for home-based businesses that require the certification of a commercial kitchen. The kitchen also addresses economic needs of the community, in that the local labor market is heavily dependent on Food service - cooks and servers - and training classes are held to mutually benefit individuals seeking skills and employers seeking trained and qualified help. In 2022, the community kitchen and community room were re-opened in an effort to create more revenue for programming. In turn, economic development will be driven by providing a space for entrepreneurs looking to start a Food business. The community kitchen will increase our purchasing and processing of local foods. Our goal is to have 50% of our total purchases to be local Food by 2025.

Community programs to meet the needs of low income elderly people in the community who often face Food insufficency due to high Food costs or health conditions that prevent them for shopping or cooking for themselves, the Livingston Food Pantry developed and implemented the Pantry supper club. This program, based on research done by dietetic interns from Montana state university, provides five dinner meals to each participant each week. The meals are prepared with locally sourced, organic ingredients, using recipes designed specifically to meet the nutritional needs of elderly people, many of whom suffer from chronic illness such as diabetes and high blood pressure. The meals are ready to be heated in a microwave and enjoyed - at no cost to the program participants. In order to reach more people in need within our County, which spans 2,800 square miles, we developed our mobile Pantry program. With this program we take Food to the more rural areas to reach people who cannot reach us. The "healthy weekend" program serves to provide nutritious meals to school-aged children. The healthy weekend program was expanded by implementing it in more schools and daycare facilities. In 2022 we expanded our summer lunch program from one site to three, serving nearly 3,000 meals to children in Livingston. It has become clear to the lfrc staff that many of the people being served were struggling with more issues than just Food insufficiency. There is a need for mental health services. Lfrc's client base is among the most vulnerable and impacted population within our community. It is the same population that can least afford counseling and/or case management services. With the needs of the community skyrocketing and the options for help already stressed and overwhelmed, lfrc decided to address these challenges. In 2021, with the help of a few grants, the lfrc was able to start a mental health counseling program, free of charge, to any client who wishes to utilize this service.