MISSOULA — At the Missoula Food Bank & Community Center, the annual turkey distribution is a holiday tradition all on its own. Sunday, staff and volunteers passed out everything needed for a Thanksgiving meal.
“Swing on through our parking lot. We'll get you set up with all of the fixings as well as a turkey, and you don't even have to get out of your car,” said executive director Amy Allison.
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Last year, they served over 1,500 families on turkey distribution day alone. This year, Allison said the turkey distribution came at an important time, as the food bank has been extra busy this fall.
“This month has been so different with the government shutdown, as well as the SNAP benefit delays. But, luckily because we are back in business, SNAP has been distributed and the government shutdown is over, we are not really sure what to expect,” she said. “But, we've definitely been very busy so far today.”
Volunteers, helping out staff, kept the distribution moving. They directed traffic, handed out turkeys and packed bags of vegetables, stuffing, cranberry sauce and desert supplies.
For Tim Wolsky and his family, this has become part of their holiday tradition.
“We've been doing this since our kids were little. We usually are out directing traffic and outside, but this year we're inside making bags of goodies,” Wolsky said. “Just love helping. Just feel that sense of community, just watching. Everybody’s so helpful and it's just a cool time of the year for sure. We look forward to it as a family.”
Plenty of Montanans are getting in the giving spirit. Missoula and Bozeman just finished the food drives that accompany the Brawl of the Wild, with Missoula winning “Can the Cats.”
“We've raised over a million dollars and pounds of food in each community, so 2 million combined,” Allison said. “We're really excited about that and so appreciative of our communities for making that happen and just knowing that every single pound and dollar that came in right now ensures that we have less food insecurity in our state.”
