Beyond SNAP, the farm bill also funds other nutrition programs, like those that distribute food from farms to food banks and help seniors shop at farmers markets. Bruce Day, executive director of Helena Food Share, said such programs are vital to his community. “(They’re) helping people who are struggling otherwise to put food on their table, making choices between what they pay for,” he said. “Do they pay for rent? Do they pay for their medical needs? Or do they buy food?” Day would like to see eligibility requirements loosen and funding expand for nutrition assistance, especially in light of inflation. “If you were able to maybe feed your family for two weeks previously using SNAP dollars, it might be less than that now: 10 days or eight days,” he said. “That’s why we care about the farm bill — obviously there’s a lot that supports the work we do and touches the people that we serve in pretty significant ways.”

Helena Food Share held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday on Boulder Ave., at the site where they will build a new 20,000 square foot facility. Executive Director for Helena Food Share, Bruce Day, was happy to see the support of the community at the ceremony. “We had so many members of the Helena community come out, volunteers, people who have donated to this effort, community supporters, partners in the community, and just felt great to have that community support knowing that people really see this as a very important project. This new building for our future,” said Day.

Helena Food Share will have a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for its new $10.3 million Community Food Resource Center. It will be 8:30 a.m., at the construction site at 1280 Boulder Ave., just off Montana Avenue. The public may attend and refreshments will be provided. Food share officials said this event marks a significant milestone in its mission to ensure individuals and families facing food insecurity have somewhere to turn. “With this groundbreaking event, we are taking a momentous step forward to enhance our capacity to serve more individuals and families facing food insecurity in the greater Helena area, with more efficiency and by utilizing food in our community that might otherwise go to waste,” Bruce Day, Helena Food Share executive director, said in a news release.

A new matching grant will help fund Helena Food Share’s Community Food Resource Center. The funding comes through the Otto Bremer Trust which has already donated $40,000 this year to Helena Food Share for operational funds. The new grant will match donations for up to $250,000. Helena Food Share must raise an equal $250,000 in order to receive the same amount from the trust. While the trust has given Helena Food Share around a year to complete the task of raising the money, HFS is hoping to have it raised by the day they break ground at their new Community Food Resource Center on July 27.

Bruce Day, executive director for Helena Food Share, said the food bank serves roughly one in five children in the Helena area. Since the pandemic, he said the organization has seen rising need. Helena Food Share provides roughly 1,200 “Kid Packs” for children each week of the school year, a program that’s specific to youngsters, he said. The packs contain healthy snacks and nutritious, easy-to-prepare meals. Day said Helena Food Share has seen an increasing number of families seeking assistance as well, 15% to 20% more every month year over year. That’s 1,500 to 1,600 families a month, or roughly 3,000 individuals.

Helena’s deer culling program has come to an end. MTN caught up with Helena’s police chief to see how the program went this year… And the venison doesn’t go to waste. The deer that were caught this year were processed by Old Salt Co-op. A little over 1,600 pounds was then sent to Helena Food Share to help feed the community. “You know, the deer culling has a pretty big impact for us. It generates, you know, thousands of pounds of ground meat that we’re able to make available to folks. It’s really appreciated,” says Executive Director at Helena Food Share, Bruce Day.

The Helena City Commission on Monday approved the allocation of more than $1.9 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. The approval sends $1.58 million to Rocky Mountain Development Council for the Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church housing project, $250,000 to Helena Food Share for costs related to the construction of its Community Food Resource Center, and $143,000 to the Tri-County Fire Safe Working Group to fund its wildfire risk assessment and education program.

Food is life. But for 1 in 7 Helena residents — and 1 in 5 children — finding enough food to live on is a daily struggle. Helena Food Share is a lifeline to these individuals experiencing food insecurity. Since 2001, the organization has seen an alarming 2,600% increase in demand for the food assistance services it provides.

Back in October, Helena Food Share announced their plans to move to a new location on Boulder Ave. On Wednesday, they shared more details on their future facility and relocation plans. Helena Food Share provides groceries for around 1,500 families each month. That’s on top of other food support programs like the Kid’s Packs and Holiday Meals, and the need has grown over the past few years. To help support that increased need, Food Share has worked on an expansion and relocation.

Back in October, Helena Food Share announced their plans to move to a new location on Boulder Ave. On Wednesday, they shared more details on their future facility and relocation plans. Helena Food Share provides groceries for around 1,500 families each month. That’s on top of other food support programs like the Kid’s Packs and Holiday Meals, and the need has grown over the past few years. To help support that increased need, Food Share has worked on an expansion and relocation

Helena Food Share unveiled plans and released more information Thursday about its new $10.3 million Helena Community Food Resource Center during a celebration at the Vanilla Bean Bakery & Café. The event attended by nearly 80 people was both a public announcement of the project, an acknowledgment of early fundraising success, and a call to the community to add to efforts to support the nonprofit that distributes more than 6,000 pounds of food daily and provides emergency food for over 1,500 local families each month. Helena Food Share has already secured $7.5 million in support of the project, officials said.

If you’ve taken a walk through the neighborhoods of Helena recently, you may have been joined by some unintended walking partners. With one of the biggest deer populations seen in Helena since the program’s inception, Helena Police Department has begun the months-long process of deer culling.

The head of Helena Food Share shared some preliminary drawings of their new facility with members of a grassroots citizens group, telling members that the current facilities cannot meet the needs of the community. Bruce Day, executive director of the Food Share which serves as a community support organization that helps fight hunger in the Helena area, discussed the new 20,000-square-foot facility recently with members of Hometown Helena.

Two Helena-based service organizations were among 100 groups statewide to share $350,000 from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, it was announced Tuesday. Helena Food Share will receive $10,000 and The Salvation Army Helena will receive $5,000, foundation officials said.

The head of Helena Food Share shared some preliminary drawings of their new facility with members of a grassroots citizens group, telling members that the current facilities cannot meet the needs of the community. Bruce Day, executive director of the Food Share which serves as a community support organization that helps fight hunger in the Helena area, discussed the new 20,000-square-foot facility recently with members of Hometown Helena.

The Helena Food Share is looking to construct a new, 20-thousand square foot facility on Boulder Avenue, just a few blocks away from their current location on Lewis Street.

Helena Food Share, through the city of Helena, has applied for a $750,000 community development block grant to help offset the cost of a proposed larger facility.

Helena Food Share is looking to construct a new, 20-thousand square foot facility on Boulder Avenue, just a few blocks away from their current location on Lewis Street. The location is vacant at the moment, and with the rising need of food assistance in the greater Helena area and would be perfect for the future food pantry. Executive director at Helena Food Share Bruce Day believes that it’ll be a huge help to the Helena community.

Lewis and Clark County leaders have announced how they’re dividing up $10.5 million in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.

There are many ways to describe a community – landscape, economic drivers, educational, cultural, and outdoor opportunities, and its citizens’ health and well-being. The Kids Hunger Coalition are Helena-area professionals who believe our children’s health and access to nutritious food are paramount to our collective well-being.