In the build-up to constructing a new food resources center, Human Resources Development Council staff gave countless tours of their old, overstressed facilities to show people the need for a new building.
There was always a “story of the day” to share, HRDC’s Food and Nutrition Director Jill Holder said during a ribbon cutting for their new facility Thursday, some personal experience a client had shared with them about why they were seeking out help.
As they were setting up for the ribbon-cutting, HRDC’s Development Director Kristin Hamburg saw one of those stories. A couple came into the new Marketplace building on Griffin Drive, which houses the Fork and Spoon pay-what-you-can restaurant, the Gallatin Valley Food Bank and other services.
A staff member met the couple at the front desk and led them over to the food bank market. As she did so, Hamburg saw the man turn to his partner and say: “They are kind, and we are safe.”
“That’s exactly what we wanted to do with this building, is make people feel welcome,” Hamburg said.
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