About the Food Bank

Our History

The Bonner Community Food Bank was organized by the Ministerial Association in 1980.   We called many locations home, including 15 years at the 5th Avenue location, before purchasing our current location at 1707 Culvers Drive, in the fall of 2011. We also have a satellite food bank in Priest River serving West Bonner County. We are an organization, funded entirely by donations and grants.  The food Bank receives no county, state or federal funds. We are a non-profit service organization dedicated to providing nutritious food resources.

What We Do

The Food Bank is primarily a food resource for low income families, disabled individuals, children and senior citizens to receive a ‘helping hand’ in a time of emergency.  All resources at the food bank are free, with the hope that when an individual sees the opportunity, he or she will help someone in return for the help they received.

Food assistance is for emergencies only; we are not meant to be a ‘grocery store.’  Approximately 1,800 clients each month receive assistance from the Food Bank in one form or another.  Public support is needed and appreciated.

The Food Bank may also provide additional services to those in need, depending on the circumstances surrounding the need, and the Food Bank’s availability of resources.  Due to the number of years the Food Bank has been serving the community, it has a proven track record for delivery of many services to seniors, disabled persons, and the working underprivileged in the Sandpoint area, helping our clients to stretch their budgets.  For example, at one point USDA reported that it would be approximately 3 months before peanut butter would be available for our clients.  The local newspaper put out a call for peanut butter for the Food Bank.  One community gentlemen brought in a check for $500 to purchase peanut butter.  A call was made to the local Safeway grocery store asking the manager if $200 worth of peanut butter was purchased would Safeway donate $200.  He agreed that he could do this.  The next call went to Yokes Pac N Save. The story was told how peanut butter was purchased and Safeway donated the same, would they also like to do this.  So the Food Bank received $800 worth of peanut butter for $400 and $100 went toward the purchase of other food items.  That is how we deal with funds and the purchase of food items, making each dollar stretch to the maximum.

Some additional programs we offer include:

• The Backpack Program: Provides food to qualifying school children over the weekends
• Coats for Kids: For qualifying Food Bank clients
• Christmas gift match program: Matches qualifying Food Bank clients to donors who fulfill their Christmas wishlist
• USDA Commodities: Available once a month to Food Bank clients who also qualify for the USDA program
• Diapers and Formula: Available once a month to Food Bank clients who have infants in their household (subject to availability)

Food Bank Locations
Sandpoint                                                                      Priest River
1707 Culvers Drive                                                      45 S. McKinley, Suite 107
208.263.3663 | info@foodbank83864.com                 208.448.4989 | Priest River