With a poverty rate of 27.2% – the highest in North Dakota — it’s easy to see the need for food assistance in Rolette County. Since 2020, the Dunseith Soup Kitchen and Belcourt Soup Kitchen have stepped up to provide much needed meals. They each currently serve 300 meals a day to children, older adults and families facing hunger, down from 500 meals each day during the COVID pandemic.
For the past four years, both meal sites received the bulk of their operating revenue through the American Rescue Plan, a government response to COVID-19. When funding ran out early in 2023, each soup kitchen questioned their ability to remain open and feared the hardship that closing would create in their communities.
The meal sites learned they could partner with the Great Plains Food Bank and receive monthly food deliveries.
Each soup kitchen jumped at the opportunity.
“Without Great Plains Food Bank, we probably would be closing at the end of the month,” said Arlene Azure, who oversees the Dunseith Soup Kitchen. “We had to go to just soups and sandwiches because of the budget.”
As a result of their partnerships with the Great Plains Food Bank, both meal sites look forward to monthly deliveries including meat, vegetables, fruit, canned and frozen items. Each have continued serving balanced and nutritious meals to everyone that walks through their doors. They also deliver food to local homeless shelters.
“It has helped us out a lot because food is so expensive,” said Crystal Vettleson of the Belcourt Soup Kitchen. “Great Plains Food Bank helped us with meat and different things to make meals that help us watch that budget. It is helping us to stay open.”
Thank you for your role in keeping meal sites running for our neighbors facing hunger in Rolette County and throughout our service area!
Arlene Azure (front & center) with Bernice Poitra, Jayden Meyers and Billee Jo Gladue from the Dunseith Soup Kitchen.
“Without Great Plains Food Bank, we probably would be closing at the end of the month.”
– Arlene Azure