Food demand high at North Dakota’s only food bank

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota’s only food bank experienced the second-highest demand in its 39-year history in 2021 as the coronavirus pandemic surged.

Great Plains Food Bank, based in Fargo, provided 12.6 million meals for those in need in 2021. The non-for-profit organization helped 121,000 people, more than in any year before the pandemic. As the pandemic gathered steam in 2020, the food bank experienced record demand, providing food for 17.7 million meals for nearly 146,000 people.

The food bank is based in Fargo, with a distribution center in Bismarck. The organization distributes food to pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and other charitable feeding programs in more than 100 communities across North Dakota and into eastern Minnesota.