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11/03/2025
Organizations in Great Falls that serve food to those in need were planning to serve many more people last week as food assistance benefits were expected to pause due to the federal government shutdown.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture notified states in early October that the federal shutdown would mean that programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, would be on pause starting Nov. 1, unless Congress authorized funding. The government shutdown began Oct. 1.
That affects 77,000 Montanans and 41 million Americans who are enrolled in the SNAP program.
(This report was finalized on Oct. 31. The Associated Press reported Friday that two federal judges ordered the Trump administration to use emergency funds to keep SNAP active. In both cases, judges asked the Trump administration to provide updates by Monday, Nov. 3.)
In Great Falls, St. Vincent de Paul has already seen a doubling of people coming in to receive food. The organization operates an Angel Room to serve unhoused people downtown and a community kitchen that packages and distributes food.
Executive Director Deb Kottel said that the organization anticipates the number of people to triple this week if the benefits are not reinstated. The nonprofit, which handles around 50,000 pounds of food monthly, will try and make its food reserves go further.
“Which is significant for us, because we don’t have more food,” Kottel said. “So we have to go down on reserves, which is what we’re going to do. And also, what we give people will be less.”
Kottel’s organization already saw reduced food deliveries this spring, when the Trump administration cut $500 million from the USDA’s Emergency Food Assistance Program, one of St. Vincent de Paul’s suppliers.
While the organization gives food directly to people, it also contributes to other groups in Great Falls that help those in need. Kottel said St. Vincent de Paul gives about 2,500 pounds of food monthly to Helping Hands, a ministry of First English Lutheran Church that continued on after the church closed two years ago. It’s a no-barrier service that distributes food to the community.
Carrie Parker, director of Helping Hands, said it served 14,000 people in 2024. It served 432 people in one recent week. She’s also expecting an increase in people needing food in the coming weeks if SNAP benefits are paused. Parker fielded 10 calls recently from people new to Helping Hands, just asking if they will be open and available.
“They’re already experiencing trauma,” Parker said. “And this is just exacerbating that, which really isn’t helpful at all for people who are trying to dig themselves out, trying to go to work every day, raise a family. And now they have to worry about this as well.”
Parker said that food insecurity isn’t limited to certain groups. There are lots of situations that make the rising costs of food challenging.
“We see single moms with children. We see veterans who have served their country well and now need our support in return. We see senior citizens with disabilities,” Parker said. “And this is what America has always been about — taking care of our own.”
Food aid systems in Great Falls are networked, and St. Vincent de Paul isn’t the only organization that supplies food to Helping Hands. The Great Falls Community Food Bank is a major supplier to the organization in addition to its other distribution programs.
Food Bank Executive Director Shaun Tatarka said that they’re stocking up and expecting a surge in needs after what would be the first-ever lapse in SNAP benefits.
“We’re in uncharted territory here,” Tatarka said. “We are in a position where we can order a lot more food than we normally do.”
Tatarka said Wednesday that the Food Bank isn’t panicking just yet, but “we’re close.” He held out hope that Congress would strike a deal that resumes SNAP funding. But it’s the uncertainty of those politics that has made planning tough. It’s not known whether Congress could make a deal within hours, days, weeks or months.
He encouraged those who have the means to donate to local aid organizations.
“This is probably bigger than the food bank,” Tatarka said. “It’s bigger than any one agency. I’m just asking the public to give to any agency in Great Falls or Cascade County that feeds the hungry. I don’t care who it is.”
Photo Op
Leesha Ford, executive director of Toby’s House, poses in front of the center on Oct. 23, 2025.
Over the course of a couple of months, Montana Free Press had been stopping by Toby’s House while reporting a story about the center. The organization provides no-cost, drop-in child care for parents who need to work, attend an appointment or have an emergency with no one else to safely watch their children.
As reporting was close to wrapping up, a car crashed into the building, narrowly missing a napping child and a staff member inside the room. It put the current site of Toby’s House in a bind as the nonprofit is working toward building a new facility that’s expected to open next year.
Since the crash, Toby’s House and its supporters have worked to repair the damaged room and get the facility running again. Ford said that the center is expected to be back at full capacity this week.
Read the full story about Toby’s House here.
Calling all photographers: Submit a photo for Great Falls This Week to [email protected].
5 Things to Know in Great Falls
Election Day is Nov. 4 for municipal races and a ballot question regarding fireworks in the city limits. A “yes” vote on the fireworks question means you’re in favor of a new ordinance restricting most fireworks in the city except for smaller novelty items like smoke bombs. A “no” vote maintains the current status, which allows most fireworks to be used from July 2 through July 4 from 8 a.m. to midnight. Ballots must be submitted by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4, and a new law requires voters to put their birth year in the boxes on the front of signature envelopes. More election information is here. Read more about what’s on the ballot here.
Alliance for Youth is hosting its fourth-annual youth craft fair Saturday, Nov. 8. The event is open to kids and teens with a creative streak, and the organization said that it has dozens of vendors for this year’s edition. Shoppers can visit the Alliance for Youth building at 3220 11th Ave. S., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., to shop the free craft fair.
NeighborWorks Great Falls is hosting a class for recent homebuyers Nov. 4. The free class is for people who are curious about what they can do to protect their investment and maintain their new home, according to the organization. The class is from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and anyone interested can RSVP here.
Great Falls city commissioners will likely vote to postpone a public hearing about a proposed soils review for construction. The original hearing was set for Nov. 4, but a staff report stated that the public hearing wasn’t properly advertised. The new public hearing is scheduled for Nov. 18, pending approval by the commission during its meeting Nov. 4. The soils review ordinance is aimed at streamlining the geotechnical study process for lots that meet certain criteria and easing the burden for developers. Read more about the proposal here.
Also on Tuesday’s city commission agenda is a public hearing on a request from the Great Falls Voyagers for infrastructure upgrades at the baseball stadium. The city owns the stadium and leases it to Great Falls Baseball Club, Inc., which manages the Voyagers. The company requested $250,000 for concrete repair and box seat replacements and $175,000 for safety netting replacement to keep those foul balls at bay. The money would come from the park maintenance district fund.
