FARGO — The Great Plains Food Bank distributed enough food to feed 800 households in under an hour at a cultural pop-up pantry on Wednesday, Nov. 19.

“We've run out of food at almost every mobile distribution this month like this,” said Mel Ell, community impact manager at GPFB.

The pantry provided produce, chicken and rice, moving items from pallets to dinner tables in record time. Lines of cars stretched longer than popular fast-food drive-thru lanes, reflecting the continued need for food assistance.

“I didn’t think we were going to feed this many people,” Ell said.

The food bank doubled its pop-up distributions when the government shutdown began. Even a week after the shutdown ended, hundreds of families still rely on these pantries for daily nourishment.

“A week ago, I didn’t hav

See Full Page