Community Food Basket finishes off another successful year
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The Idaho Falls Community Food Basket is winding down the 2024 year with a hard finish of collecting and sharing food through the holiday season.
In the last few weeks before Christmas, they provided all the turkeys and much of the food for St. Vincent de Paul's Christmas program.
They built all the holiday food boxes for the Salvation Army's Christmas program, and they served 205 families in the community with Christmas holiday food boxes.
Ariel Jackson, the Executive Director of the Idaho Falls Community Food Basket, said "It's been really busy the last month. Our staff doesn't really doesn't get to celebrate with their families during this busy time, and so we're giving them some time at home."
Community Food Basket has been around for 44 years. Jackson says they wouldn't be able to do what they do without the support of the community.
She says each year seems to be busier than the last, and this year they are seeing a lot of families are just trying to get by through the winter and need a little extra help.
While the Community Food basket gets its bulk of donations during the holiday season, Jackson says help is needed all year long.
"I think that is just a sign of the times and a sign of what people are going through right now. Your rent is your rent and utilities are your utilities and so you cut back on food because that's the one sort of budget that you can alter," said Jackson.
The Community Food Basket is seeing more help, especially during the summertime, when children are back at home. Families struggle to budget meals that kids normally would get at school, like breakfast and lunch.
If you want to serve the community by filling hungry bellies, Jackson says there are other ways to help other than donating food.
"We have this unique ability to turn every dollar donated to $4.80 worth of food. So the reality is you can give us a can of corn or you can give us a dollar and we'll buy five," said Jackson.
The Community Food basket is now closed for the rest of the year. They will reopen on the 6th of January, 2025.
As Jackson says, "Hunger never ends."
During the closing break, they will be doing what they call "food rescuing" from other grocery stores in town.
They will work with other local feeding sites that are open during the holiday week, providing them with fresh vegetables, bread, and other types of food.
