Here in the Great Plains, we grow food to feed the world. The most basic of needs, food has the power to transform lives, it is medicine, and it is the foundation upon which strong families and communities thrive. Yet too many neighbors do not have enough to eat.
The need for food assistance has nearly doubled over the last decade, and our current distribution center has reached its limits. After years of renting costly offsite storage, battling building failures, and facing space constraints that cannot be expanded, it’s clear our current facility cannot keep pace with the growing demand.
The Harvesting Hope Campaign is a $30.5 million investment in our commitment to not only end hunger for our neighbors today, but prevent hunger for children and families tomorrow, and ultimately end hunger for good.
More than bricks and mortar, a new statewide distribution center affords us the capacity to reimagine hunger relief—expanding our ability to serve more people, more effectively, for generations to come.
Give a gift today to support the Harvesting Hope Capital Campaign and help expand hunger-relief infrastructure and build a stronger future for our neighbors.
Governor Armstrong signed House Bill 1143 into law, providing a one-time $5 million appropriation from the North Dakota Department of Agriculture to support the construction of a new statewide distribution center. The state’s investment will be matched dollar-for-dollar by private donations raised by the nonprofit, creating a true public-private partnership to expand food access across the state.
HB1143 has been introduced, a critical step in strengthening the fight against hunger in North Dakota. We’re grateful for the support of lawmakers working to make a lasting impact. Stay tuned for updates!
We were honored to be part of Governor Armstrong’s Inaugural Ball, where our community came together to support vital causes. Thanks to incredible generosity, $200,000 was raised for the Great Plains Food Bank, plus a truck full of donated food! Thank you to Governor & First Lady Armstrong, Lt. Governor Strinden, and all who joined the fight to end hunger!
With more people turning to our statewide feeding network than ever before, the Great Plains Food Bank must have the physical capacity to keep up and grow. This state-of-the-art statewide distribution center will greatly increase our ability to accept, store and distribute food, and enable us to further expand in the future. A specialized space to convene, innovate and serve, it is foundational to our ability to truly end hunger.
The new facility will allow us to fulfill our goals by strengthening our foundational, core food banking work and advancing innovative, transformational solutions. With the ability to store and distribute more food, we will purchase two new semi tractor-trailers for our statewide fleet, a critical way to expand our reach, and with specialized spaces to convene and collaborate with partners this facility will be a catalyst for creative solutions designed to go beyond food to end hunger.
We will grow our endowment fund to ensure the lasting sustainability of the nutritious food supplies and hunger-fighting programs so many of our neighbors need. To support our goal of ending hunger for good, this fund will create a legacy for good and ensure long-term sustainability to support our critical work.
Maximized efficiency to accept, store and distribute more food to more people
Advancing equity with Indigenous people
Designing hunger relief solutions with neighbors, communities and partners
Training individuals in warehousing, truck driving and/or food service preparation
Purchasing local foods, exploring mobile meat processing or grocery markets and supporting rural retailers
Advocating for inclusive and equitable policies and systems
The Great Plains Food Bank plays a unique role in hunger relief. For over 40 years, we have been recovering surplus food that would otherwise go to waste, to safely, efficiently, and effectively get it into the hands of those who need it most.
Every year, thanks to financial supporters, the Great Plains Food Bank recovers millions of pounds of food from the local, regional and national food industry.
More than 4,700 volunteers sort, repack and prepare the food to be distributed across our service area. The Great Plains Food Bank then trucks this food directly to our network of more than 200 partner meal sites who distribute this food in their local communities.
This is how neighbors help neighbors thrive.
With Harvesting Hope, our combined impact will deepen as–together–we work towards a future where neighbors are nourished, communities are strong, and systems ensure no one is left behind.
This is a region of remarkable abundance, with a proud, independent and hardworking people. Yet, poverty and hunger dramatically lower the quality of life of so many in our state.
More than just a building, with your support, the new distribution center will be a springboard towards ending hunger for good. It will multiply the impact of financial investments, in-kind contributions, and volunteer hours; and it will provide space for our team and community partners to continue innovating to better meet the needs of every community in North Dakota & Clay County, Minnesota to truly end hunger.
Work is already underway: the land has been secured, architects are designing the new space, and construction is planned to begin in spring 2026. The grand opening will likely take place in late 2027.
We would be honored to include you as a founding donor to this bold campaign. A range of naming opportunities is available to honor lead supporters.
Through Harvesting Hope, you will bring more than food to your community–you will bring strength, optimism and a better future.
By joining us as a Harvesting Hope partner, you are helping the Great Plains Food Bank to:
END HUNGER TODAY
By recovering and sourcing nutritious food, distributing it equitably through our local networks, and connecting neighbors to community resources, you will give your neighbors the food they need to flourish.
END HUNGER TOMORROW
By identifying unmet needs, collaborating to design community-based solutions, and activating projects to reduce poverty, you will help solve more than hunger.
END HUNGER FOR GOOD
Beyond food, you will help address the systemic root causes, consequences, and solutions of hunger and poverty, you will create lasting changes that help your neighbors thrive.
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Fargo, ND 58102
Phone: 701-476-9120
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