The Salvation Army Great Falls debuted its new Family Services Center on Monday, May 13, 2024, featuring their new client-choice food pantry.
The client choice food pantry works like a grocery store, where people can shop for food that suits their personal, dietary, or religious preferences.
Products range from fresh produce to household supplies, diapers, and even pet food. The only difference is - there’s no cash register. Visitors to the food pantry will check in with one of the case managers, and when their number is called they can grab a grocery cart. The food pantry can be utilized by individuals once a month.
There is no criteria to be able to use the food pantry - everyone is eligible.
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Michael Halverson, a Major within the Salvation Army Corps, said, “Anyone can come in, again, without discrimination. Sometimes if we're going to give them just a food box, there might be some things in that food box that they might not like. It might just go into the garbage. But right now in this situation, they can go shopping, they can pick what they want.”
The ceremony on Monday included a ribbon cutting, along with guest speakers from the national and local Salvation Army leadership. The speeches were followed by an open house for anyone to come take a look at the new facility, which has been three years in the making.
The Salvation Army Great Falls supports the community through programs and services that focus on food, shelter, addiction recovery, domestic violence aid, youth programs, and disaster relief.
In his speech during Monday’s ceremony, Commissioner Douglas Riley, the Western Territorial Commander for the Salvation Army said, “The best gift that we can give in life is giving to help others.” Singer-songwriter and philanthropist Dolly Parton recently donated $1 million to the Salvation Army, $50,000 of which was used to partially fund the new Salvation Army Family Services Center in Great Falls.
The Salvation Army Family Services Center and food pantry is located at 527 Ninth Avenue South.
For more information on the Salvation Army Great Falls, click here.
