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Great Plains Food Bank announced a record 186,366 neighbors in North Dakota and Clay County, Minnesota, sought food assistance during the latest fiscal year.
During the year, one in four people in the region relied on Great Plains Food Bank and its network of food pantries and programs for support, a 16% increase from the previous year, according to the food bank. Great Plains reported serving one in three children across its service area.
During the past year, neighbors accessed food assistance 22% more often than the previous year. Because visits increased faster than the number of unique individuals served, the data shows that more families are returning for assistance multiple times throughout the year.
While demand reached record levels, Great Plains Food Bank distributed 15.4 million pounds of food, a 4.5% increase over the previous fiscal year. This growth came despite significant reductions in federal food assistance through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which provided nearly 1 million fewer pounds of food than the previous year.
“The numbers tell a clear story. More of our neighbors are turning to food assistance, and they’re relying on it more frequently,” said Ann Prifrel, CEO of the Great Plains Food Bank. “Even as federal food resources decline, the need continues to rise. Our staff, volunteers, donors, and partners have worked tirelessly to ensure families continue to have access to nutritious food, but these trends demonstrate why continued community investment is so critical.”
The increase in individuals served mirrors broader nationwide trends, Great Plains stated. According to the most recent available data from Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap study, the number of food-insecure North Dakotans increased from 77,880 in 2023 to 91,040 in 2024, a nearly 17% increase. During that same period, the state’s overall population grew by just 1%, underscoring that the rise in hunger is far outpacing population growth. The trend is even more pronounced for children, with childhood food insecurity increasing 22.9% while the child population remained essentially flat, growing by less than 1%.
To help meet both current and future demand, Great Plains Food Bank is constructing a new statewide food distribution center in Fargo through the Harvesting Hope Campaign. Once complete, the facility will significantly expand the organization’s capacity to source, store and distribute more nutritious food to more individuals in communities across the region, more frequently and with more efficiency.