The Great Falls Community Food Bank has had the ‘Backpacks4Kids’ program since 2011. When the program started, the packs of food were distributed to the four most impoverished elementary schools. In 2017, the program grew to serve all 15 elementary schools in Great Falls and Vaughn school.
Now, the Great Falls Community Food Bank told MTN they are expanding the program in the Fall of 2025 to include both middle schools in Great Falls.
WATCH:
Sandra Ferno, office manager of the food bank, said “In our Great Falls area, we do have several individuals, children, that are food insecure, so the backpack program helps bridge the gap.”
“Once the child graduates from sixth grade and moves up to seventh and eighth, they lose that Backpacks4Kids program,” Ferno said.
According to the food bank, the issue of food insecurity has spread throughout all of Great Falls in recent years.
Brian Miller, principal at North Middle School, said there are families at his school he would worry about if it weren’t for this program.
“We're all feeling the stress of an economy that is getting more expensive, and so one of the first things that we have to afford is food for our kids,” Miller said. “We have to come to school with a full belly.”
Beginning in the Fall of 2025, the food bank will be delivering more than 1200 packs of food a week to all 15 elementary schools and the 2 middle schools in Great Falls. In addition to this expansion, they will also be serving Centerville School.
“Anytime somebody comes alongside schools and provides resources for our kids so they don't have to worry about the little things which add up to be the big things, it just helps us do our job better and our kids are happier, so it’s great,” Miller said.
The Backpacks4Kids program cost the food bank about $125,000 dollars per year before this expansion.
Ferno added, “It is going to increase our budget by about 30%. So, community support is definitely needed.”
Ferno said the best way for the community to support this growing program is through monetary donations. Click here to visit their website and learn more about how to donate.
(MARCH 19, 2025) Providers at Benefis Health System are donating time and money to the Great Falls Community Food Bank to support their Backpacks 4 Kids program, which provides take-home meals for Great Falls elementary school students experiening food insecurity.
The Backpacks for Kids program packs 950 bags of food per week to distribute to all fifteen elementary schools in Great Falls, and the primary school in Vaughn.
The program has been around since 2012, and director of the Great Falls Community Food Bank Shaun Tatarka says, “It's hard to learn when you're hungry, and there were a lot of kids that were showing up on Fridays that weren't excited about the weekend because they weren't sure where their next meal was coming from. They, of course, were fed breakfast and lunch at school, but then, that weekend, there was little or no food at home.”
The Food Bank is currently working on expanding their Backpacks 4 Kids program to include both Great Falls middle schools as well. The Food Bank does currently support food pantries at both middle schools, as well as more than 20 other food pantries across the district, but expanding the program with easy-to-make, healthy food packages would increase access, and elementary students used to receiving the food packs would continue to do as they move into middle school.
Tatarka explains, “It improves the classroom behavior, improves attendance. And so we're hoping to, with a little luck, we're really pushing, we really would like to add the middle schools to this program. It's really just about getting the funding.”
It takes around 25 volunteer hours to pack the food bags for each week, and $130,000 annually to run the program. A program with the middle schools would require a 30% increase in the food bank’s budget.
Benefis Health System is donating $25,000 to the food bank this year, with $8,000 going directly to the Backpacks 4 Kids Program. Doctors at Benefis chose to give this money in celebration of National Doctor’s Day, and also donated hours of their time packing up the food.
Eldon LaTray, an Orthopedic Physician Assistant with Benefis Health System, was one of those volunteers. He says, “I think that's an amazing use of the money to donate to the Great Falls Food Bank. I just think people need help right now. This is a great program, I am proud to be here tonight. I think that food prices are going up and more people are probably needing assistance.”
The food bank will launch the backpack program at the middle schools once they receive enough funding to support the program for at least three years, which could be as soon as this fall. Click here to learn more about the Backpacks 4 Kids Program.
