SANDPOINT, Idaho – As the holiday season approaches, the Bonner Community Food Bank is working hard to meet the growing needs of the community. The food bank, located outside Sandpoint, is experiencing a significant increase in demand, especially as Thanksgiving nears.
Debbie Love, the director of the Bonner Community Food Bank, shared that they have run out of turkeys and are now counting donations by pounds rather than boxes. “Been a significant increase in need,” Love said. “I’ve noticed more of the people that we’re serving are working families, more so than when I first started here.”
The food bank relies heavily on local donations to fill the gap. “Just the community support, especially around the holidays, is unreal,” Love stated.
One unique form of support comes from Northwest Autobody, located nearby. David Keyes explained their initiative: “We give $50 for every deer strike, every animal strike in November to the food bank.” This effort, dubbed “Deervember,” has made a substantial impact.
“We’ll end up topping $20,000 total since we started this thing nine years ago,” Keyes said. This contribution has translated into nearly 60,000 meals for those in need. “It really is a lot of help,” he added.
“It’s almost 60,000 meals. So, it goes and stretches pretty far,” Love added.
The food bank is preparing to feed about 1,000 families during the week of Thanksgiving. The recent shipment of turkeys ensures that there will be no shortage for the holiday meals.
Love emphasized the importance of community involvement, saying, “There is always that help there. We just have to ask for it.”
Fortunately, the food bank did receive a new shipment of turkeys, alleviating any concerns about shortages. Northwest Autobody’s contributions to the food bank equate to the financial impact of 400 deer collisions.
