Our Vision
Our vision is simple. We are neighbors coming together for the nourishment of the whole community to create hopeful and confident community members.
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide food and advocacy for our neighbors across Kuna and the rural areas surrounding us who are experiencing hunger. By providing service opportunities for our local businesses, church groups, volunteer organizations, and residents, we are fostering a community where neighbors come together in support of one another.
Our Beginning
Founder Ted Wimer began Kuna Food Bank in 1994 because he saw that his neighbors and their children were in need. Ted’s “person-to-person” philosophy is carried out through the intentions and actions of each volunteer at Kuna Food Bank.
Other Ways the Kuna Food Bank Serves Our Community
Working together, we successfully reach those most in need with only a 3% overlap of families served.
A Growing Population
Kuna’s population has doubled since 2013 and increased by 28% since 2020. As the population increases, the importance of a local food bank amplifies.
For example, 16.8% of Ada County’s seniors (65+) reside in Kuna. Rising costs of living, increasing medical expenses, and even the responsibility of caring for grandchildren full-time are just a few of the issues that threaten this demographic’s ability to provide food for their household.
Sometimes, the hardest part about receiving help is rallying the courage to ask. In every interaction, we treat our neighbors with care, respect, and encouragement.
Getting Assistance
Building Project
We are in the process of building a new independent building for the Kuna Food Bank located in downtown Kuna. The groundbreaking ceremony will be held in the fall of 2024.
Volunteer Opportunities
Neighbors helping neighbors…THE recipe for building a strong and beloved community. We welcome volunteers to join us in positively impacting our community!
If you are passionate about serving and want to get involved, please call us at 208-922-4745. We will be delighted to schedule an appointment for you to take a tour and receive the necessary volunteer training.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are answers and links to some of the most frequently asked questions we receive at the Kuna Food Bank.
A Letter from the director
Kuna Food Bank Director, Marci Durrant
In the fall of 2021, I was asked to step into Ted Wimer’s long-worn shoes as the director of Kuna Food Bank. Since then, Kuna Food Bank has experienced a great deal of change as our reach within our community and surrounding areas has grown. However, our aim to be a conveyor of hope to our neighbors during difficult times is part of our work that will never change.
When life’s financial strains are pulling at an individual or a family, sometimes the availability of food, generously offered by a compassionate community, is all that it takes to help that individual or family move forward in a positive direction. We remember the moments we’ve received a helping hand. The recipients of Kuna Food Bank services remember this as well and are quick to pay it forward when their circumstances allow.
The work of Kuna Food Bank is nourishing on both sides of the equation. When we as a community give with kindness, free of judgment, and with hearts open to serve, we are strengthened and nourished just as much as those whose plates we fill.
At this time of growth and need, we invite you to join in this important work by contributing to the construction of an independent and better-equipped facility to house the Kuna Food Bank. This building will allow us increased work and storage space, provide all the equipment needed to safely store and distribute food, and thus allow us to serve our neighbors in need more effectively.
Neighbors helping neighbors is THE recipe for building a strong and beloved community.
Kindly,
Marci Durrant
Director
Kuna Food Bank
Food Drive Chairs
Melanie Mohling, our current Community Food Drive chairwoman, is stepping down. Marty and Shannon Teater will serve as the new chairs.
The upcoming Community Food Drive is on Saturday, November 9, 2024. Organizations interested in assisting in this important community-wide service project, please email Marty and Shannon KunaFoodDrive@gmail.com
Former Chair
Melanie Mohling
Melanie Mohling’s involvement with the Kuna Food Bank started in 2017, serving as Kuna’s Scouting for Food coordinator. A group of Kuna citizens, including Melanie, organized the first Kuna Community Food Drive in 2020 to ensure the tradition of a fall food drive would continue despite the COVID-19 pandemic and declining Cub Scout and Boy Scout enrollments. Melanie says serving as the food drive chairperson was gratifying because she experienced the generosity of the Kuna community firsthand. Now, she’s looking forward to exciting changes with Marty and Shannon at the helm.
New Chair
Marty and Shannon Teater
Marty and Shannon, long-time residents of Kuna, have spent most of their adult lives in the Treasure Valley. Since 2012, they’ve called Kuna their home. Their commitment to the community goes beyond their own family—they’ve actively participated in Kuna’s food drives for years. Shannon, the daughter of Hank and Joyce Kloepfer, has deep roots in Idaho. Her family’s history can be traced back to her grandfather’s homesteading land in Kuna back in 1904. Marty, who moved to Kuna in 1997, found love with Shannon, and the two were married in 1998. Now, here in Kuna, they’ve raised their adult children, leaving a positive impact on their community.