In The News

Oct 3, 2023 – (Helena IR): As summer winds down and rushes into fall, the gardens are put to bed, the plethora of fresh produce dwindles in choices, and the focus of our appetites naturally shifts from lighter fare to a desire for heartier, more satiating foods. Two of this month’s recipes highlight beans as they offer a great seasonal transition into more substantial entrees plus they are an excellent source of fiber, protein and are naturally cholesterol-free and low in fat. Beans are amazingly versatile and can be substituted to make a meat-free twist on many of your favorite meals. Our third recipe combines the ease of slow-cooked pork with some late-season fresh plums to create the perfect easily thrown-together autumn menu. Read more.

Sept 27, 2023 – (Helena IR): A long white semi-truck made a stop in Helena early Wednesday, hauling tons of meat that will help feed needy Montanans. Producer Partnership dropped off 2,400 pounds of donated meat to Helena Food Share, part of a multi-day delivering of food to the Montana Food Bank Network and their partners throughout the state. The delivery, in a truck with the words “Farmers and Ranchers working to end hunger in Montana” emblazoned on the side, was part of 42,000 pounds of USDA inspected pork, breakfast sausage and ground beef to help communities statewide. Read more.

Sept 1, 2023 – (KTVH): Helena Food Share was among the selected food banks to receive proteins from The Producer Partnership, a nonprofit, that donated over 40,000 pounds, or 20 tons, of meats across the Montana Food Bank Network. The Producer Partnership works with farmers and ranchers across Montana to process donated livestock. Since it was founded in 2020, they have donated nearly 250,000 pounds of meat to the Montana Food Bank Network, and other charities in Montana. Read more.

Sept 1, 2023 – (KTVH): On Thursday, food donations were accepted at Van’s Thriftway and the County Courthouse for the first Food for Fines event. “It’s an awesome opportunity for the folks in our community to help the kids in our community,” said Kim Dale, the Program Operations Director at Helena Food Share. The Lewis and Clark County Justice Court and Helena Municipal Court teamed up to host the event. The entire community was encouraged to donate food. Read more.

Sept 1, 2023 – (Helena IR): The Lewis and Clark County Justice and Helena Municipal courts collected food items in lieu of outstanding fines and donated them to Helena Food Share. Lewis and Clark County Justice of the Peace Michael Swingley donated nearly 1,000 pounds of food and more than $500 in cash collected Thursday. “We thought it would be a good idea and just decided to try it,” Swingley said in an interview Thursday evening. “It was wildly successful.” Read more.

Aug 24, 2023 – (KTVH): The Helena Community Gardens are not only a great way to get out working with your hands but also help to feed the community…  Kim Dale, the Program Operations Director at Helena Food Share says that this program is a real benefit to the community and helps provide families throughout the area with healthy produce. “It’s so important to the community because healthy food is healthy families. Read more.

Aug 16, 2023 – (High Country News): 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.” Read more.

July 27, 2023 – (KTVH): 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. Read more.

July 23, 2023 – (Helena IR): 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. Read more.

July 17, 2023 – (KTVH): Every year, for Symphony Under the Stars, patrons weigh down their blankets with cans of food, all of that then gets donated to Helena Food Share where they distribute the food to those in need. According to the Feeding Americas website, one in 12 people are facing hunger in Montana. The 19th Symphony Under the Stars concluded on Saturday by bringing in hundreds of pounds of food to those in need. “It’s a reflection of the generosity of our community. This community that we live in, and the amount of food that they bring forward, 13,000 pounds of food, you know, that’s going to translate into more than 11,000 meals, and that food’s going directly to families in our community who are in need,” said Executive Director of Helena Food Share Bruce Day. Read more.

July 17, 2023 – (Helena IR): Nearly 13,400 pounds of food was collected at Saturday’s “Symphony Under the Stars,” to be used to help feed the needy in the Helena area, Helena Food Share officials said Monday. This year’s food drive did not beat last year’s record of 24,000 pounds, but it is still Helena Food Share’s largest food drive of the year “and will go a long way in providing food support for our neighbors here in Helena,” the nonprofit said in an email. Read more.

July 5, 2023 – (Helena IR): The glorious season of salads is here! In the summer, salads move from being a starter or side dish on my menu to becoming the main event. Our garden at Helena Food Share is full of harvestable vegetables for our Pantry, which is the very exciting result of months of careful planting and cultivation. Whether you have a home garden, shop at the Farmers Market, or area farm stands, fresh local vegetables are abundant and affordable for the next few months, making it easy to incorporate more salads into your meal plan. Read more.

June 20, 2023 – (KTVH): 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. Read more.

May 31, 2023 – (Daily Montanan): 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. Read more.

Apr 3, 2023 – (KTVH): 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. Read more.

Mar 13, 2023 – (Helena IR): 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. Read more.

Mar 1, 2023 – (Helena IR): It’s always a happy moment when something you love happens to be good for you as well. When choosing salad greens, the more interesting, the better. Read more.

Feb 8, 2023 – (Helena IR): 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. Read more.

Feb 2, 2023 – (Helena IR): 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. Read more.

Feb 2, 2023 – (KTVH): 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. Read more.

Feb 1, 2023 – (Helena IR): A simple and doable health tweak is to adopt the idea of “Meatless Mondays” as part of your New Year’s resolutions. If you’re not interested in going meat-free, all three of the following recipes would benefit from the addition of some roasted chicken or whatever sounds good to you. Read more.