Facts and Statistics

Who your donations to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank help

Number of emergency food boxes distributed	13, 537 (A 2.2% increase from 2009)
Average number of NEW families requesting assistance at the Food Bank each month	143
Average number of households served per weekday in 2010	53.1
Average number of households served per month in 2010	1,128
Percent of households with children who visited the Food Bank	36%
Percent of households that are elderly	6.8%
Percent of households that listed unemployment as the most common reason for visiting the Food Bank in 2010	32.75%
Percent of households that listed low-wages as the most important reason for needing to visit the Food Bank in 2010	25.25%
Number of non-profit partners with meal or food programs that rely upon the food bank to supplement their efforts	25

Please click here to download the full 2009 Annual  Report (PDF)

For archieved reports please click here

Hunger Awareness

Food Insecurity – is the inability to access food in a consistent and socially acceptable manner to meet the family’s nutritional needs.  Food insecurity is charachterized by not having the financial means to buy or grow food, the need for emergency food assistance and adults skipping meals.  Food insecurity exists when the availability of nutritionally adequate food or the ability to access it on a consistent basis is uncertain or limited.

Hunger – is the condition where both adults and children cannot access food consistently and have to reduce food intake, eat poor diets and often go without any food.  Hunger is also defined as the uneasy or painful sensation when it is caused by lack of food.

State of Montana Population Highlights*

Total population (2006)	944,632
Total population change (2005-2006)	1%
Poverty Rate (2004)	14%
Number of Jobs (2005)	613,425
Annual Average Wage per Job (2006)	$30,534
Unemployment Rate (2005)	3.3%

Gallatin County Highlights*

Total Population (2006)	80,921
Total Population Change (2005-2006)	3%
Poverty Rate (2004)	11%
Number of Jobs (2005)	63,379
Annual Average Wage per Job (2006)	$30,135
Unemployment Rate (Nov 2007)	2.7%
Monthly Average Number of Recipients of all ages that received Food Stamps (FY 2006)**	2,704
Number of students enrolled in pre-K to 12th grade that were eligible for free-reduced lunch program (2004-2005)**	9,717

*Information Provided by Northwest Area Foundation, http://www.indicators.nwaf.org
**Information Provided by the 2006 Databook, Montana KIDS COUNT, www.bber.umt.edu

HUNGRY IN MONTANA: Factors Contributing to Emergency Food Needs 2006 Client Hunger Survey

Report by
The Food Security Council
Montana Food Bank Network

Major Findings:

Poverty Rates
Urban Areas	64.9%
Reservations	88.9%
Rural Areas	67.6%
Employment & Education
Looking for Work, Urban	26.7%
Looking for Work, Rural	21.3%
Looking for Work, Reservation	38.5%
No employment due to disability/poor health, Urban	55.8%
No employment due to disability/poor health, Reservation	50.0%
No employment due to disability/poor health, Rural	70.2%
Head of Household completed high school, all sites	73%
Head of Household attended college or trade school, all sites	34%
Difficult Choices:  Medicine, Utilities, Housing Costs
Client reported having to choose between food and rent	38.9%
Client reported having to choose between food and medicine	38.2%
Client reported having to choose between food and utilities	51.4%
Economic Factors Impacting Food Budgets
Low Wages/Fixed Income	70%
Utility Costs	25%
Rent/Mortgage Costs	28%
Unemployment	23%
Health Care Costs	16%
Disability	25%
Food Stamps Exhausted	16%
Repair Bills	7.5%
Childcare Costs	3%
Public Assistance Cut	9%

For further information regarding this report, contact Minkie Medora or Kate Bradford at:

Montana Food Bank Network
5625 Expressway
Missoula, MT 59808
406.721.3825