Feed the Future - The Hunger Coalition

The Hunger Coalition, together with our community, is building a bold, new solution to hunger. We’ve moved into Bloom Community Food Center; a place where people from all walks of life can enjoy a fresh approach to food security.

WHY BLOOM COMMUNITY FOOD CENTER?

There was a food crisis in Blaine County well before COVID-19 hit town. Our friends and neighbors were wracked with the eighth highest food costs in the nation*, a lack of affordable housing, and wages that had not kept pace with living expenses. Before the pandemic hit, The Hunger Coalition was providing food for 1 in 6 local people. Things were already hard before COVID-19 came to town and made life that much harder.

The Hunger Coalition is now feeding nearly two times as many families as we were before COVID-19. The pandemic broke people holding on by a thread and reinforced how badly we need a change.

To more fully answer the needs of our community, Bloom Community Food Center includes…

• A Community Kitchen & Dining Area
• Next Gen Food Pantry
• Year-round Greenhouses & Raised Bed Gardens
• A Dedicated Community Partner Space
• Bloom Community Farm Expansion

INSTEAD OF HANDING OUT APPLES, LET’S PLANT AN ORCHARD

It is written into our mission to address the root causes of hunger. To continue to give out food without going deeper would betray our purpose. It’s time we retire the band-aid approach in favor of something truly healing.

*As reported by Feeding America in May of 2020, Blaine County now has the fifth highest food costs in the nation.

WHERE WE’VE BEEN

Click here to watch the full video with stories from Jeff, Tania, and Vicky.

WHERE WE’RE GOING

Bloom Community Food Center is a place of pride. It encourages health and human connection through growing, cooking, and sharing food. While we continue to provide emergency food for people in crisis, there is a greater variety of access options to answer the diverse needs of our community.

Much of our inspiration for these changes has come from a successful model in Canada. Watch this short video from our mentors to envision where we’re headed.