Humility and Joy at Great Plains Food Bank

After our successful fundraiser for Great Plains Food Bank, donating a whopping $1,667 (did I say "Thank You" yet?  THANK YOU!!), I was happy to be in Fargo recently to accept a standing invitation to visit Food Bank HQ in Fargo.

It was fun. It was humbling. It filled me with joy.

A Great Plains Food Bank employee stocks the shelves with donated food. 

There is plenty of negativity floating around media today, but seeing GPFB's operation, you realize that really, people are good and generous and true. The volunteers, happily creating packs for children to take home in their backpacks so they can eat over the weekend. The warehouse staff, quietly loading and unloading pallets of orange juice, canned corn, and shelf-stable chocolate milk, readying it for distribution. My "tour guide" Marcia, who generously took time from her busy schedule as marketing director to show me every corner of the operation, from loading dock to walk-in refrigerator to freezer to the executive director's office. The companies and food producers, the testament to their generosity sitting on every shelf of this huge facility. The cluttered corkboards lining a room with smiling photos of volunteers over the years.

It's a pretty amazing operation. And best of all, it works. I hate seeing food go to waste, and Great Plains Food Bank is doing a stellar job recouping food that would otherwise be wasted and giving it to those in need.

• The USDA estimates that 27% of the food produces in the US never makes it to the dinner table, essentially wasted along the food supply chain. 
• In 2012 alone, GPFB collected and redistributed over 11 million pounds of food. 
• 1 in every 10 North Dakotans seeks emergency food assistance. Many of these are children and elderly individuals. 

When I arrived at the 36,000 square foot GPFB building by the railroad tracks in downtown Fargo, Marcia and I walked through the quiet office areas and conference room, then entered the large warehouse. There was a sophisticated computer system, which enables the organization to keep track of everything coming in and everything going out.  Pallets are wrapped and stacked, their destinations marked on the side with community names like Gackle, Ashley and Zeeland as they await delivery.

Produce is kept in the refrigerator unit, with potatoes galore, fresh asparagus ready to go, and an 800 lb. burlap sack of onions nearby. A freezer unit keeps additional perishables, and bakery items (including my favorite take and bake bread) are readied for prompt distribution. Shelf stable products include a wide range of items, nearly everything with a recognizable brand name: canned vegetables and fruits, soups, juice, crackers, cereal, noodles, mayo, and yes, some sweets too. Hunters play a role in the food bank operations as well, donating venison and other game meats through the Sportsmen Against Hunger program, providing much-needed protein to the distribution channels.

Marcia Paulson, director of marketing at Great Plains Food Bank, 

checking out the contents of this weekend's Backpacks for Kids packs

The Backpacks for Kids packs were being prepared by volunteers during my visit. Marcia explained how they have honed the program over time, making sure the sacks weren't too heavy for the kids to carry, not too bulky so kids felt embarrassed carrying them, and filling the sacks with foods that kids can prepare themselves, like cereal, juice, squeezable fruit, and microwavable soup cups.

One child's weekend backpack food supply

Although they can't meet the great need of supplying weekend backpacks to all the kids that qualify across the state, thousands of kids across the state are receiving weekend backpacks of food. According to Marcia, teachers of children in the program notice marked improvement in the children's school performance and overall behavior. I'm not a behavioral scientist, but something tells me feeding kids is a good idea if you want them to be prepared for school.

If you ever get to Fargo, do stop in Great Plains Food Bank and see if you can get a tour. In fact, plan to stay awhile. I guarantee they can always use another helping hand.