‘We’re beyond living on the edge’

Chris George’s Chevy hatchback stalled twice as the car attempted to climb the modest incline near the entrance of the Libby Food Pantry. Three brown dogs sat perched behind her in the car.

George said she hopes to buy a used refrigerator if her stimulus check arrives. She said keeping food cold wasn’t too difficult during the winter months but the warming weather abolishes that option. Her household has no hot water heater either, she said.

“We’re beyond living on the edge,” George said. “I don’t know too many people other than the homeless who are living worse than us.”

She paused.

“But there are good things too,” George said.

Including the Libby Food Pantry.

“Without it, I couldn’t survive,” she said.

Five minutes earlier three men had arrived in an older SUV. The driver told Rhea Bernardy, co-director of the Libby Food Pantry, that his household includes four adults, a toddler and an infant. He said he’d never before sought assistance from the pantry.

Both the Libby Food Pantry and Troy Food Pantry have experienced increased demand because of stay-at-home directives, school closings and layoffs tied to COVID-19.

“We’ve seen probably a 25 to 30 percent increase in the numbers of clients we see each month,” said Bernardy, co-director with Chloe Adamson of the Libby pantry.

Glenda Orr said demand is up too at the Troy Food Pantry.

“We have seen an increase of new clients who have signed up at our pantry due to closures,” Orr said.

Fortunately, donors have stepped up during a time of social and economic distress linked to COVID-19.

Both the Libby and Troy food pantries have received grants from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation and the Town Pump Charitable Foundation. Lincoln County Credit Union has been a donor.

The Troy Food Pantry’s list of benefactors also includes Troy High School’s art business class, which helps students considering an art career learn about marketing and selling. The class has sold ceramic wildlife figurines to raise revenue.

This year, when everything shut down, the students decided to donate their earnings, said teacher Jeanie Palmer. They gave $800 to the Troy Food Pantry, $500 to the Troy Community Baptist Church Food Pantry and $200 to Kootenai Pets for Life.

“The students could have held onto the money and used it for a trip or some activity next year, but they really wanted to help,” Palmer said.

Orr said she appreciated the students’ generosity and the donations from others in the community.

“We are grateful for all the donations that come to our pantry: canned goods, donated bread and bakery items, change dropped in a jar or a large financial donation,” she said. “It all goes to helping those in our community who need some extra help. We see many good people helping others.”

Bernardy expressed similar reactions to the region’s assistance during a trying and unprecedented time.

“We’ve seen enormous support from this community,” she said. “The community has just opened up their hearts to the food pantry.”

On Tuesday morning, Merlyn Mohr walked across the parking lot near the Libby Food Pantry toting bags of food to donate. He said he wasn’t sure what the bags contained because his wife had packed them.

Bernardy said the Libby Food Pantry is in pretty good shape right now because of the grants from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation and the Town Pump Charitable Foundation.

She said the Montana Food Bank Network is a major supplier for the Libby Food Pantry. The organization also buys food locally from Empire Foods and Rosauers Supermarkets, she said.

Gayle Carlson, chief executive officer of the Montana Food Bank Network, said rural pantries have reported increases in demand of 10 percent to 15 percent. The food pantries in Libby and Troy are members of the Montana Food Bank Network, or MFBN.

Carlson said the MFBN, based in Missoula, experienced a significant spike in demand from its partner agencies.

She said food is still coming into the MFBN warehouse from orders previously made.

“However, any orders placed in the last couple of weeks have either been cancelled or have delayed shipping — in some cases it won’t arrive until June,” Carlson said.

She said MFBN spent more than $500,000 during one five-week period when its typical spending is about $130,000 a month.

The Libby Christian Church Food Pantry is also a participant in the MFBN.

Marc McGill, who co-directs the pantry with his wife, Peggy, said the pantry closed for a time after the initial recommendations to stay-at-home and practice social distancing.

‘We decided to re-evaluate as more information or guidelines were suggested,” said Marc McGill. “After three weeks we determined that we could safely accommodate the food needs of our clients and protect our volunteers as well with a curb-side operation.”

The Libby Christian Church Food Pantry resumed operations on April 16.

McGill said it’s too soon to know whether the pantry will experience an increase in demand.

“We serve the entire community and eligibility is based on need,” he said.

The MFNB is part of the national Feeding America Network. Its CEO reflected in an April 8 news release about the impacts of COVID-19.

“This year, the COVID-19 crisis is driving more of our neighbors into food insecurity and putting a strain on food banks to provide more meals,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot. “Never has the charitable food system faced such tremendous challenge, and we need all the resources we can get to help our neighbors during this terrible time.”

Because of COVID-19, the Libby Food Pantry has reduced distribution days to Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Clients drive up to receive food. The volunteer staff tries to maintain social distancing but some clients who are disabled need help loading their vehicles.

They receive a variety of foodstuffs. On Tuesday, meat choices ranged from ground beef to elk and venison.

Clients are limited to one visit a month to the Libby Food Pantry but Bernardy said exceptions are made for people running out of food.

Many of the clients who stopped Tuesday might have been short on cash but they seemed long on gratitude.

“You are our heroes,” one woman told the volunteers.

“Libby people love you so much,” said another.

The Libby Food Pantry is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Clients drive up and load their own groceries, if able,

to maintain social distancing. The Troy Food Pantry is open on the first and third Mondays of each month from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.