Seeley Swan Community Food Bank Volunteer Coordinator Sally Johnson stands in the middle of the nearly 2,000 pounds of useable food that was recovered from the flooded storage room. Seeley Lake Elementary allowed the Food Bank to store their food until they can move back into their space.
Over Winter Break, a pipe broke in two places inside the exterior wall of the Food Bank's back storage room at Seeley Lake Elementary. Water was running for one to three days before it was discovered.
SEELEY LAKE - When Seeley Swan Community Food Bank President Lulu Rodriguez opened the door to the Food Bank Monday evening, Dec. 26, water poured out the door.
"There was two to three inches of water [in the front room] and then it was gushing from [the back storage room]," said Food Bank Volunteer Coordinator Sally Johnson.
Seeley Lake Elementary School Superintendent Josh Gibbs said a pipe broke in two places spraying water for one to three days. This affected the school's storage area and the Seeley-Swan Community Food Bank, located next to the SLE's Multi-Purpose room.
Beginning Saturday, Jan. 14 the Food Bank will be open Saturdays from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. in the SLE Multi-Purpose Room until further notice. Boxes will be pre-packages for families and they will also receive food vouchers for Cory's Valley Market for fresh produce, milk, eggs and bread.
"We are hoping by opening up on Saturday(s) we will meet most of the people that would have been here on a Tuesday," Johnson said. "We know the hours are reduced but hopefully by prepackaging [orders] we can get them out sooner."
On Dec. 23, Food Bank volunteers sorted through all the donations from the holiday food drives including Seeley-Swan High School, SLE, Citizens Alliance Bank, Veterans and Families of Seeley Lake and several churches.
"We were kind of overflowing with donations which was wonderful," Johnson said. "We probably processed about 800 to 1,000 pounds of food that Friday."
When Rodriguez stopped Monday after work she was greeted with water flowing out of the Food Bank. In the back storage room, the particleboard shelving along the wall with the broken pipe had collapsed into the center of the room. The shelving on the opposite wall was still standing.
"Thank goodness for Chef Boyardee," Johnson said and laughed. "We learned that some cases of Chef Boyardee were holding up this one section otherwise it would have collapsed."
Rodriguez called Johnson to come help and then immediately called 9-1-1. The Seeley Lake Fire Department responded as well as SLE employees Heather Mincey and her husband Tripp, SLE custodian Cindy Poteet and Rodriguez's husband. They moved all of the food out and put it on the tables in SLE's Multi-Purpose Room.
"With the cold snap, that back area gets pretty cold," Gibbs said. "We've had problem back there before and had all the stuff that we thought would prevent it but it didn't. We are in the process of making some fixes so it doesn't happen again."
While there was damage to SLE, Gibbs said most of the damage was to the Food Bank.
"Thankfully it was just our storage stuff," Gibbs said. "It didn't damage classrooms. We just had to move stuff."
Food Bank volunteers started sorting food on Tuesday, Dec. 27. While many of the boxes were destroyed, Johnson estimated around a ton of canned goods and dried goods that were sealed in plastic bags were not damaged. She said they did lose around 500 pounds of food, half of it was flour packaged in 50-pound bags.
"We are very thankful," Johnson said. "It would have been a different scenario had it gone on much longer. We appreciate the school's immediate action."
Gibbs estimated the restoration company would finish drying out the area by Jan. 6. Then the full damage can be assessed. SLE's insurance will cover the cost to replacing the drywall. SLE also purchased new shelving for the Food Bank.
Johnson said the Food Bank feed about 35 households a month. This is up about 10 families from last year since many of the COVID supplements have been reduced and the rising cost of inflation.
"We have been able to meet the need and the community has been generous," Johnson said adding they recently received wild game and hamburger from Montana ranchers and receive free food and food at reduced cost.
While typically families need to fill out a new application in January, Johnson said the Food Bank suspended the 2023 application process until they are moved back into their space. They have also put their orders on hold from the Montana Food Bank and will request assistance as needed.
"The school has just been phenomenal," Johnson said. "They are letting us operate out of the Multi-purpose Room on Saturdays and are providing storage for food until we can get moved back in. We appreciate all they have done."
For more information about the Food Bank please call 406-677-5025 or to volunteer call Johnson at 406-677-2049.
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