A $25,000 donation to Montana Food Bank Network will be used to help mitigate the rising cost of delivering food to pantries statewide.
A gallon of diesel has more than doubled in cost since May of last year, and diesel is what keeps Montana Food Bank Network trucks rolling to almost 350 food banks across the state. The network is Montana’s only statewide food bank, and as a nonprofit charity it cannot pass the extra cost of rising delivery prices onto its clients.
The organization announced Wednesday that it received the donation from the Town Pump Charitable Foundation in order to help cover rising fuel costs.
Montana Food Bank Network officials estimate that the grant will help mitigate costs for months and allow for more food purchases as demand for those donations grow.
The network says its partners haven’t seen such demand for food donations since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. They blame the growing demand on record inflation and rapidly rising fuel expenses.
