Missoula Food Bank & Community Center
About Missoula Food Bank & Community Center
At Missoula Food Bank & Community Center, the first thing you notice is the choice. People shop in a free store for groceries their households can actually use, without income or ID barriers getting in the way. From there, the work widens into weekend nutrition packs for students, school meals, senior grocery delivery, and help with SNAP, Medicaid, and other safety-net applications. For donors, this is the kind of place where food access, school support, and practical guidance all meet in one local response to hunger in Missoula County.
What sets it apart is the range of support without losing the local feel. A choice-model store, grocery rescue, food deliveries, school-based pantries, and a hands-on family learning center all live under one Missoula County organization, which means help can meet people in the places they already are.
Programs
The concrete work this nonprofit runs. Each program may later become a fundable project.
Store
Free choice-model food access where shoppers select groceries for their household without income or ID barriers.
Grocery Rescue
Collects food from local grocery stores that would otherwise be discarded, then sorts it to stock the store shelves.
Food Circle
Accepts prepared, perishable food from commercial food establishments and repackages it into single-serving meals.
ROOTS
Monthly grocery delivery or pickup for income-qualifying people age 60 or older, with home delivery for people with mobility or transportation barriers.
Fresh Food Box
Monthly grocery delivery for people who are homebound or facing transportation or mobility barriers.
Kids Table
Summer and school-year meals and snacks for children, including meals served through after-school, school-day, and no-school-day programming.
EmPower Packs
Weekend nutrition bags for students from preschool through high school.
EmPower Place
A hands-on family learning center that offers free after-school and school's-out meals along with science, literacy, and STEM activities.
The Market at Lowell School
A satellite pantry in Lowell Elementary School's cafeteria where staff, students, and neighbors can shop during scheduled hours.
The Market at Russell School
A satellite pantry at Russell Elementary School where staff, students, and neighbors can shop during scheduled hours.
Application Assistance
Help with SNAP, school meals, LIHEAP, Medicaid, and other safety-net program applications.
About this work
In their own words — what they do, who it reaches, and what your dollars actually fund.
Mission
We lead the movement to end hunger through advocacy, volunteerism and healthy food for all. We nourish community.
Who they serve
People in Missoula County who need food assistance, including children, seniors, people with disabilities, households with mobility or transportation barriers, and neighbors seeking safety-net program support.
Their impact
- 24,440 unduplicated individuals were served in FY25.
- 41,524 EmPower Packs went home with students in the past school year.
- 80,806 after-school meals, 2,356 breakfasts, and 3,297 lunches were prepared for school-year programs.
- 5,104 local families visited EmPower Place in the past year.
- 1,260,224 pounds of grocery store food were rescued in the past year through Grocery Rescue and Food Circle.
- The Holiday Drive raised $325,000.
- Fresh Food Box grew 120% in the past year.
- The Kids Eat Free Bus distributed 7,811 Kids Table meals, 1,000 EmPower Packs, and 1,060 grocery services over the course of the past year.
How your donation helps
- Weekend EmPower Packs for students
- Grocery deliveries for seniors and elders
- Produce, dairy, and protein for the Store shelves
- Food and supplies for the choice-model store and pantry programs
Our story
Missoula Food Bank & Community Center began in 1982, growing out of a group of Missoulians informally called People Ending Hunger who came together to create local solutions during a period of food insecurity and economic recession. It started in a basement, moved through several homes, and eventually grew into a community center with EmPower Place, a hands-on learning kitchen, and a broader set of child, senior, advocacy, and food rescue programs.
Need help?
How someone in need can access Missoula Food Bank & Community Center’s services.
Anyone who needs help can visit the free Store. Visitors complete a short intake form, meet with a trained Resource Assistant, and shop based on household size, with no income or identification requirements. Intake forms are confidential and available in several languages.
Stories
The people behind the work.
In their words
This is what it means to nourish community.
We lead the movement to end hunger through advocacy, volunteerism and healthy food for all. We nourish community.
We envision a community that embraces food justice where no one feels shame or experiences stigma when asking for help.
You are welcome here.
Events
Holiday Drive
annualAnnual food and fundraising drive.
Missoula Gives
Community giving event listed among organizational drives and events.
CANdemonium
Event listed in the organization’s events calendar.
Empty Bowls Full Souls
Event listed in the organization’s events calendar.
Ways to help
Concrete needs and volunteer roles Missoula Food Bank & Community Center has shared.
Current needs
- Monetary donations for weekend EmPower Packs
- Food donations for the Store
- Volunteers for store boxing, kitchen repacking, and food deliveries
Volunteer opportunities
- Boxing food in the Store
- Repacking food in the kitchen
- Delivering food boxes
- Assembling ROOTS boxes
- Delivering ROOTS groceries in personal vehicles
- Preparing and delivering Kids Table meals
- Building and delivering EmPower Packs
- Repackaging Food Circle meals
- Volunteering in EmPower Place with children and families
Recognition & press
In the media
- Missoulian, reporting on Montana exploring free school meals
- Missoulian, guest column on kids benefiting from eating school lunch
- KPAX, feature on Missoula Food Bank spreading the word about free and reduced lunches for students
- Montana Public Radio, story on email requirements creating a hurdle for some applying for food assistance
- Montana Right Now, report on MCPS continuing breakfast in the classroom
Press & mentions
Partners & funders
In the news
Articles featuring Missoula Food Bank & Community Center from the Love What You Fund newsroom.
Similar nonprofits
Other food banks & pantries nonprofits in MT.