GreatPlainsFoodBankJamestown (CSi) Members with the North Dakota Farmers Union Friday, presented a check for more than $27,000 to the Great Plains Food Bank.

The money was raised by county Farmers Union organizations through fundraisers and donations to help build a new regional service center in Bismarck. The center is expected to better serve 28 central and western North Dakota counties.

Farmers Union President Mark Watne pointed out that he was pleased with the effort, saying, It’s a great humanitarian gesture and another level of involvement in the food chain from our farm and ranch members,” he said. “They understand the importance of getting their product to market and into the mouths of hungry people.”

North Dakota’s only Food Bank, the Great Plains Food Bank’s services span statewide with more than 228 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and charitable feeding programs in 117 local communities.

Watne says one of the critical aspects of the $1.1 million facility in Bismarck is the recovery of more perishable food and increased efficiency.