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History

More than a quarter-century ago, an exciting new chapter in the fight against hunger in North Dakota and western Minnesota began to unfold.  After visiting a food bank on a trip to Colorado in 1981, Tony Ingle, Vice President at Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota, began researching the potential for a similar program in the Fargo area.  With the help of a community task force, the Greater Fargo-Moorhead Area Food Bank opened its doors on March 22, 1983.The program was renamed the Great Plains Food Bank after just 15 months to reflect a growing service area and rising food donations.  By 1986, over a million pounds of food was being recovered and distributed for those experiencing hunger.  As the need for services continued to grow, innovative programs to recover surplus meals and perishable foods, fresh produce, high-protein products and even surplus new children’s clothing were added.   
    
Today, the Great Plains Food Bank distributes over 6 million pounds of food to more than 240 charitable feeding programs in more than 90 communities each year, helping feed more than 61,000 hungry people in North Dakota and Clay County, Minnesota.

View Our 25th Anniversary Timeline