The Idaho Food Bank: ‘We’re here year round’
Published at | Updated at
POCATELLO — Unexpected life events can turn something like providing a meal into a hardship.
Thankfully, local food banks are a constant support for individuals and families suffering through life crises.
“The individuals that I see walk through the door are individuals who’ve come across hard times. Something like a medical catastrophe happened or they lost a job, or they’re a single parent now,” said Rebecca Ristrem, Eastern Idaho Branch Manager of the Idaho Food Bank.
The Idaho Food Bank, a statewide, non-profit organization, has one goal– to feed the hungry.
“Here at the Idaho Food Bank we’re all about feeding hungry tummies,” Ristrem said. “We want to be that bridge until they can get back on their feet.”
Ristrem said there’s a perception that people are only in need of food during the holidays.
“(People are) hungry 24/7, 365. The beauty behind the food bank is we’re here year round,” Ristrem said.
The Idaho Food Bank in Pocatello began almost 20 years ago in 1998. At that time it had had four community partners. Now it’s partnered with over 60 community organizations and has hundreds of volunteers.
“We have a network of partner agencies. Sixty-five in eastern Idaho alone that we actually distribute food to, and then they are the boots on the ground to get it out,” Ristrem said.
Ristrem said the food bank’s mobile pantry program has been able to deliver food to the more rural areas like St. Anthony and Rexburg.
“We bring a truck once a month, and we make that delivery. Then we have volunteers that distribute that food that same day,” Ristrem said.
This year the Eastern Idaho Branch had a goal of delivering 5 million pounds of food. Ristrem said they are quickly approaching that number.
“We’re well on our way to meeting that goal. We average about 400,000 pounds a month and in our peak months we’re closer to 600,000 but we’ve never dropped below 360,000,” Ristrem said.
“For ever dollar that’s donated we can provide four meals,” Ristrem said. “How we do that is we buy in bulk. We get free boxes from local businesses, and we repack into those boxes, family size bags.”
Ristrem said the food bank services cover 16 counties — about 28,000 square miles.
“I go from the border of Utah to the border of Wyoming, to the border of Montana,” Ristrem said.
Currently they are helping some 30,000 individuals per month, but Ristrem said they could be helping more.
“We’re trying to reach 53,000 individuals that we know –according to the data we’ve been given — are food insecure, and 20,000 of those are children under the age of 18,” Ristrem said.
Ristrem said there isn’t a qualification process in order to receive help from the food bank. Ristrem said receiving the food is based on the recipients honor.
“All you need to do is say ‘I’m hungry,’ or ‘I need help,’ Ristrem said. “When you base it off of income guidelines you’re taking individuals that have run up against hard times and you’re cutting them out.”
Ristrem said over the years the food bank has increased in the amount of donations its received. She said the organization is grateful to the volunteers that have given thousands of hours, and to the community for all of its monetary and food donations.
The next step for the Idaho Food Bank is expansion. Ristrem said the facility has been great, but more room is needed for the influx of food its been receiving.
“This building has been fabulous for the last eight years,”Ristrem said. “We’re going to be looking to expand that into the future because we’re bringing in more food and we’re feeding more people.”