The Tarkio/Westboro/Fairfax Food Pantry Board met March 10, 2020, with 10 members present. Churches represented at the meeting were the Baptist, Presbyterian, Church of God, and First Christian churches of Tarkio; Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian churches of Fairfax; and St. John’s Lutheran Church and Methodist Church of Westboro. Samantha O’Riley from Community Services, Inc. also attended.

In January, 143 individuals representing 71 families were served. In February, 121 individuals representing 59 families were assisted. This is a substantial increase in both numbers of families and sizes of families that were served. The board is grateful to the school groups that have supported the food pantry by holding food drives this winter.

Items needed at the food pantry include canned soups, chili with beans, toilet paper, Sunny D juice, sugar, and flour. Monetary donations are always appreciated as the money allows the shelves to be stocked with the items that are most needed.

Sam O’Riley shared some of the programs that are available at Community Services. She also explained the “Meals in a Bag” Challenge. A meal in a bag is made up of all shelf-stable items that have a recipe of how to put together all the items for a family to have a meal.

Due to the recent outbreak of Coronavirus, members were reminded of sanitary measures that need to be in place each time the food pantry is open.

The Westboro Methodist Church will open the Food Pantry in March. The Fairfax Baptist and Christian Churches will be responsible for opening the Food Pantry in April. The Food Pantry will be open Tuesdays and Thursdays on the third and fourth weeks of each month from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. The Food Pantry is also open the third Tuesday of each month in the evening from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. The next meeting of the Food Pantry Board will be Tuesday, May 12, at 9:30 a.m. All board members are encouraged to attend. The Tarkio/Westboro/Fairfax Food Pantry is located at 315 Main Street in Tarkio.