Billings Family Service is gathering ingredients for an American staple—peanut butter and jelly.
This is the organization’s second annual PB & J Drive. It returned this year, after contributing more than one ton of food last year to the service’s food bank.
Watch the video below:
The effort began with Debbie Anderson, program manager of warehouse development for Family Service.
Anderson noticed empty space on the warehouse shelves one day and decided to take action.
“I called Franz thinking, well, they have a lot of the bread, so that would be like the last ingredient to make a PB&J, is the bread,” she said.
Franz Bakery agreed to donate one loaf of its Sweetheart white bread for every one jar of peanut butter or jelly.
People who wish to contribute can drop off donations of each item at Billings Family Service, Bretz RV & Marine, St. John’s United and both Franz Bakery Outlet locations in Billings.
Franz Bakery gathered 500 jars of peanut butter and jelly last year. The business surpassed that amount on Monday with 525.
One of the bakery’s store managers, Heather Wilmot, says her favorite part of the drive has been seeing the community come together.
“There's a lot of work that goes into those kinds of community outreach programs, and so it just kind of opened my eyes on just how much a small group can do and make such a huge impact,” she said.
The drive benefits people like Christy Nielsen, who found her income could not cover groceries.
She said the people who work and volunteer at Billings Family Service make asking for help easier.
“People think that they'll be judged,” she said, “and I just want to make everybody aware, you will not be.”
Billings Family Service offers help once a week to all who ask—no qualifications needed. Anderson only asks clients to bring an ID and current piece of mail so the organization can stay up to date on demographics.
“We're all humans, and we all need to eat. And so, yeah, there shouldn't be any shame to that, you know?” Anderson said.
The drive ends on April 30. If you wish to contribute but can’t come by a drop-off location in time, you can also sign up to volunteer or donate on the Billings Family Service website.
