FEEDING MONTANANews from Montana Food Bank Network mfbn.org

m I commit to a monthly gift of $_______. My first gift is enclosed.

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY STATE ZIP

Please make your check payable to:

MONTANA FOOD BANK NETWORKP.O. Box 17830, Missoula, MT 59808-7830

Please charge my gift on my credit card: m VISA m MC m AMEX m DISC

CARD NUMBER EXP. DATE

SIGNATURE TELEPHONE #

My email address is:

@

To charge your gift by phone, please call (800) 809-4752 or give online at mfbn.org

Your gifts change lives!

INSIDE

FEEDING MONTANA4

Your donation is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. We will send a receipt for your records.

mfbn.org SPRING 2013

My name is Hayley, and I love my children. That’s why it hurts so much when I have to tell them there’s no food for dinner tonight. Sometimes I can’t even give them a snack. I’m a single mom and I’d like to work to put food on the table, but I’ve had cervical cancer and I fear it may be coming back. I imagine you’ve heard about people who have to decide whether to buy medicine or buy food. Well, I fall into that category. My kids need to eat, so I can’t afford to get the medication I need.

We love the Montana Food Bank Network, our food pantry and you who give so much of your time and money to help us put food on our table. My children cry when they are hungry; if you’re a parent you know how you’d feel. I just know because of the Food Bank all my kids will soon have some food in their stomachs.

My tears of pain are mixed with tears of joy

I don’t want to sound like a complainer, because I’m not. In fact, when I go to our food pantry and see others who are needier, I always let them go ahead of me. That’s just what people in need do; we help each other because we know how it feels to be hungry.

I know I’ve already thanked you, but I want to add something—without your donations of food, money and compassion, my family would starve the second half of the month. With the food box we receive, we have something to eat. I don’t mean to cry when I say this, but this act of kindness, makes me hopeful for the future of my children. My tears of pain are mixed with joy—joy because I know how much you care.

“ My children cry when they are hungry.” —HAYLEY

CANstruction 2013

PAGE 2

Providing good, wholesome food...

PAGE 4

...it’s still always better to give than receive

PAGE 3

Providing good, wholesome food to those who need it mostAt the Montana Food Bank Network, our hearts

go out to every child at risk...to every person—young or old—who must choose between buying food and getting a much-needed prescription filled...and to every working poor family that cannot afford to put food on the table. So many hungry Montanans feel powerless to change their situations. Many are sick and cannot work. Others have lost jobs they’ve held for years.

These are our friends and neighbors who’ve played by the rules, but who now suffer through no fault of their own. And that’s why the Montana Food Bank Network is here...to provide good,

wholesome food to those who need it most. So when we

ask you to continue to give from your generous heart, you can be assured the money goes toward the

purchase and transportation of food that ends up on the

tables of the needy.

Your gift keeps on giving

The good news is, your investment is a gift that

keeps on giving—even for

generations. I think you’ll agree as you read Hayley’s story about what your generosity means to her and to her girls. And Arthur? Well, he’s an amazing man. In need himself, he spends most of his days helping others find food, clothing and warmth. Because of your donations, our friends are able to live to serve another day.

To continue your support of the Montana Food Bank Network and the people we touch in our

service area, we invite you to complete the reply form enclosed and mail it to us along with your spring donation. For your convenience, you may also give your

gift on our secure web site at mfbn.org. Thank you for your partnership in helping us reach out to the thousands of children, seniors and families in our state who are hungry—not only during the months of spring, but throughout the year.

Thanks to you, we’re able to put food on the table

3N/13 22217-5

Thank you for the food... and even more, for the hope.

Thank you for your partnership in helping us to reach out to children, seniors and families in our state who are hungry.

YES, Kim, you can count on my continued support of the Montana Food Bank Network in the season ahead.Here’s my gift of: m $250 m $100 m $50 m $25 m Other $_______

MY SPRING DONATION

Visit us on Facebook at facebook.com/feedmontana AND

Follow us on Twitter @mfbn to see the work you support and spread the word about Montana Food Bank Network!

FB22217-5 NEWSLETTER OUTSIDEHR IN PLACE

FEEDING MONTANA mfbn.org 3mfbn.orgNews from Montana Food Bank Network2

A WORD OF GRATITUDEFROM KIM JOLLIFFE-MEEKS

It’s all about the power of one. One caring person such as you. One volunteer…one donation…one genuine act of kindness. But those “ones,” when multiplied by the compassion of thousands of others, are making all the difference in the lives of our neighbors in need of food.

Yes, it’s tough not being able to solve the hunger needs of everyone. But just because we can’t do it all doesn’t mean we should not do what we can do. In the end it’s not the size of your gift that matters…it’s the magnitude of your caring heart. Let me give you an example of someone in whom you’re making an investment…

From receiving to giving…and the definition of a heart of gratitude

This woman is an acquaintance of mine. She has a job…but what she earns is not enough to feed her and the grandchild she’s raising. At Thanksgiving she had virtually nothing to put on her table. So we arranged for her to visit some food pantries so she could make a holiday meal. The story does not end there. My friend was so grateful for the food at Thanksgiving that she came back at Christmas…not to receive…but to do her part in helping others. Her heart is still overflowing with thanks to you for touching her life. That’s a heart of gratitude…and your power of one, multiplied by the gifts of others, is creating hope for her and thousands of Montanans.

Whether it’s reaching out to seniors who are hungry and alone, children who rely on us for weekend food through our backpack program, or working poor parents who cannot make ends meet, you stand at the center of their hope for the future.

It may be $5.00, $25.00, $100.00 or whatever you feel you can give. Please know we appreciate every cent you invest in the food needs of the thousands who come to us for assistance. Again…you and I cannot feed everyone in Montana who is hungry. But we can do miracles together when we invest in people—one child, one senior, one family at a time. Thank you for being one who cares,

Kim Jolliffe-Meeks Board Chair, Montana Food Bank Network

My name is Arthur. I just want to tell you how much the Montana Food Bank Network and the food pantry mean to me and so many of my friends. I come for a good meal here three to four times a week. I try not to take a food box back with me, since I feel others may need the food more than I do. Everywhere I look I see other poor, cold and hungry people: seniors, the sick, families and little children.

I’ll try to explain how it feels to be hungry. Say you’re at home watching a championship basketball

game. The game is tied and there are only a couple minutes left to play. Then...the power goes off. More than anything in the world, you want that game to come back on, but it won’t. That’s how it feels to be hungry. Thanks to the Montana Food

Bank Network and food pantry, I don’t have to experience this feeling. For this, I am forever grateful.

I’m a survivor...and it’s my job to help others survive

Because I’m a survivor and have lived outside for so many years, I do my best to help others who find outdoor living difficult. I tell them about our food pantry, where they can get a meal and a food box. I hope I’m seen as an encourager to those who are afraid and all alone.

If you’ve never been to the Food Bank or to a food pantry, I hope you’ll pay a visit. You’ll

discover your donations and other acts of compassion are well worth the effort.

On March 22, 2013, come and watch designers and their build teams create structures entirely made out of cans of food at the Southgate Mall in Missoula. The teams will be led by architects, designers and engineers who will work with students, organizations or companies to assemble the structures. This annual event not only raises awareness of hunger in Montana, but serves as a creative food and fund drive.

On Saturday, March 23, the completed structures will be judged based on structural ingenuity, number of cans, use of labels, overall

design, best meal and people’s choice. Come on down and vote for your favorite! One dollar is equal to one vote—the money raised will go to the Montana Food Bank Network. Every $1

donated can provide enough food for 6 meals.

For more information, please visit mfbn.org

CANstruction 2013

There are many Montanans who will not be going to sleep hungry, thanks to Sleep City. Sleep City and NBC Montana partnered with the Montana Food Bank Network last year, holding monthly food and fund drives around the state. This year-long statewide food drive raised over 12,000 pounds of food for local food pantries, and over $49,000! That is more than 294,000 meals for hungry Montanans.

We’d like to thank Sleep City and NBC Montana for their commitment and generosity to the Montana Food Bank Network and hungry Montanans across the state.

Last year’s fall fundraiser was another great success for the Montana Food Bank Network. On November 10, 2012 several hundred people gathered in Missoula for the “A Chef’s Affair” gala. The event raised over $32,000 after expenses. That equals 192,000 meals for hungry children, seniors and families in Montana!

We’d like to thank all of the sponsors, chefs and donors who made this event possible.

For information on “A Chef’s Affair” 2013, please visit mfbn.org

“ Don’t Let Montanans Go to Sleep Hungry” food drive was a huge success!

A Chef’s Affair 2012

Creating for a good cause at the Southgate Mall. MacCANtosh was one of the award- winners in last year’s competition.

“ I try not to take a food box, because I feel others may need it more than I do. Everywhere I look I see poor, cold and hungry people: seniors, the sick, families and little children.” —ARTHUR

We raised thousands of dollars and collected over8,282 pounds of food last year!

Whatever your circumstances...

It’s still always better to give than receive

Your donations are saving lives...and we are all grateful.

FB22217-5 NEWSLETTER INSIDE HR IN PLACE

FEEDING MONTANANews from Montana Food Bank Network mfbn.org

m I commit to a monthly gift of $_______. My first gift is enclosed.

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY STATE ZIP

Please make your check payable to:

MONTANA FOOD BANK NETWORKP.O. Box 17830, Missoula, MT 59808-7830

Please charge my gift on my credit card: m VISA m MC m AMEX m DISC

CARD NUMBER EXP. DATE

SIGNATURE TELEPHONE #

My email address is:

@

To charge your gift by phone, please call (800) 809-4752 or give online at mfbn.org

Your gifts change lives!

INSIDE

FEEDING MONTANA4

Your donation is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. We will send a receipt for your records.

mfbn.org SPRING 2013

My name is Hayley, and I love my children. That’s why it hurts so much when I have to tell them there’s no food for dinner tonight. Sometimes I can’t even give them a snack. I’m a single mom and I’d like to work to put food on the table, but I’ve had cervical cancer and I fear it may be coming back. I imagine you’ve heard about people who have to decide whether to buy medicine or buy food. Well, I fall into that category. My kids need to eat, so I can’t afford to get the medication I need.

We love the Montana Food Bank Network, our food pantry and you who give so much of your time and money to help us put food on our table. My children cry when they are hungry; if you’re a parent you know how you’d feel. I just know because of the Food Bank all my kids will soon have some food in their stomachs.

My tears of pain are mixed with tears of joy

I don’t want to sound like a complainer, because I’m not. In fact, when I go to our food pantry and see others who are needier, I always let them go ahead of me. That’s just what people in need do; we help each other because we know how it feels to be hungry.

I know I’ve already thanked you, but I want to add something—without your donations of food, money and compassion, my family would starve the second half of the month. With the food box we receive, we have something to eat. I don’t mean to cry when I say this, but this act of kindness, makes me hopeful for the future of my children. My tears of pain are mixed with joy—joy because I know how much you care.

“ My children cry when they are hungry.” —HAYLEY

CANstruction 2013

PAGE 2

Providing good, wholesome food...

PAGE 4

...it’s still always better to give than receive

PAGE 3

Providing good, wholesome food to those who need it mostAt the Montana Food Bank Network, our hearts

go out to every child at risk...to every person—young or old—who must choose between buying food and getting a much-needed prescription filled...and to every working poor family that cannot afford to put food on the table. So many hungry Montanans feel powerless to change their situations. Many are sick and cannot work. Others have lost jobs they’ve held for years.

These are our friends and neighbors who’ve played by the rules, but who now suffer through no fault of their own. And that’s why the Montana Food Bank Network is here...to provide good,

wholesome food to those who need it most. So when we

ask you to continue to give from your generous heart, you can be assured the money goes toward the

purchase and transportation of food that ends up on the

tables of the needy.

Your gift keeps on giving

The good news is, your investment is a gift that

keeps on giving—even for

generations. I think you’ll agree as you read Hayley’s story about what your generosity means to her and to her girls. And Arthur? Well, he’s an amazing man. In need himself, he spends most of his days helping others find food, clothing and warmth. Because of your donations, our friends are able to live to serve another day.

To continue your support of the Montana Food Bank Network and the people we touch in our

service area, we invite you to complete the reply form enclosed and mail it to us along with your spring donation. For your convenience, you may also give your

gift on our secure web site at mfbn.org. Thank you for your partnership in helping us reach out to the thousands of children, seniors and families in our state who are hungry—not only during the months of spring, but throughout the year.

Thanks to you, we’re able to put food on the table

3N/13 22217-5

Thank you for the food... and even more, for the hope.

Thank you for your partnership in helping us to reach out to children, seniors and families in our state who are hungry.

YES, Kim, you can count on my continued support of the Montana Food Bank Network in the season ahead.Here’s my gift of: m $250 m $100 m $50 m $25 m Other $_______

MY SPRING DONATION

Visit us on Facebook at facebook.com/feedmontana AND

Follow us on Twitter @mfbn to see the work you support and spread the word about Montana Food Bank Network!

FB22217-5 NEWSLETTER OUTSIDEHR IN PLACE