Page 24 - Giving Guide_FINAL

24 A TIME FOR GIVING

The Meridian Food Bank offers

a food pantry — currently

drive-thru three days a week coming in and writing checks; I by the amount of food and money

due to the pandemic — and didn’t know who they were …” donated to us.”
This is the time of year when
The Meridian Food Bank
distributed over one million
Meridian Food Bank is fundraising
weekly school backpack food pounds of food last year, for holiday meals, and it’s the time
of year “where we just say we
according to its website, helping
services for kindergarteners to more than 19,400 households in need all your help,” Clark said.
need throughout the Treasure
For Thanksgiving, the Meridian
high schoolers. Valley. Food Bank received 3,000
“Now, we’ve come a long way,”
pounds of turkey in donations, in
Clark said. “I think we’ve done well. addition to monetary donations
We really do whatever we can to to purchase even more turkeys
help people; we think that’s what and other traditional Thanksgiving
Dan Clark describes starting the who comes through our door, and our calling is.” meal accompaniments.
Meridian Food Bank as “grassroots we want to help everyone achieve The Meridian Food Bank is “It’s just amazing,” Clark said.
all the way,” back in 1999, literally the best possible quality of life in operated entirely by volunteers “This time of year, that’s what
distributing food out of the trunk our community.” and is a partner agency with the we’re seeing, that seems to be the
of his car. His motivation: the Bible “That’s what I’m doing, and it Idaho Foodbank. While the Idaho demand; it’ll stay that way to the
verses in Matthew 25. hasn’t stopped,” Clark said. “This Foodbank frequently provides end of the year.”
“The Meridian Food Bank was is a faith-based organization, but food to the Meridian Food Bank
created to serve the people in our there is no requirement as to what through the partnership, the How to donate
community that are facing the faith. It makes it more comfortable Meridian Food Bank functions
challenge of not having enough for everybody.” as an independent organization. The Meridian Food Bank offers
food for themselves and their Now, Meridian Food Bank There are no paid positions. a food pantry — currently drive-
families,” the website states. “We is an official 501 (c) (3), has its All monetary donations go thru three days a week due to
are committed to reducing hunger own building, and has helped to supporting the mission of the pandemic — and weekly
and to creating healthy families by thousands of households over the supplying food to patrons. school backpack food services for
distributing food to unemployed, years. “Our goal is to help anyone kindergarteners to high schoolers.
underemployed, seniors, children, “It’s all those folks that really who is hungry and asks us for Backpacks are given to students
homeless and struggling stepped up and helped,” Clark assistance,” the website states. to take home over the weekends,
individuals. We value each person said. “All of a sudden people were “Our ability to help is determined and each backpack provides two
breakfasts, two lunches and two

The Meridian Food Bank is an all-volunteer
organization dedicated to providing
emergency food aid to our neighbors in
need. Our goal is to help anyone who is
hungry and asks us for assistance; our ability
to help is determined by the amount of food
and money donated to us.

TO DONATE GO TO: meridianfoodbank.org