10/07/2024“Helena This Week” is reported and written By JoVonne Wagner. Send your Helena news and tips to [email protected] opening Monday for $12 million facility A Helena nonprofit will open its new facility on Monday, Oct. 7, providing the community with new opportunities to access and prepare food.  After more than a year of construction, the Helena Food Share Community Food Resource Center will hold its grand opening on Monday, and its food distribution services will begin at 12:30 p.m. The food share will also host an open house for the public the following week on Oct. 15.After breaking ground on construction last summer, the $12 million building, made possible by grants and donations, was created to address what the nonproft says is the growing food insecurity of Helena and its neighboring communities.Helena Food Share communications director Patty White previously told Montana Free Press that the nonprofit served more than 8,700 people in over 4,000 households last year and has seen service needs increase significantly.   The 19,500-square-foot community resource center, at 1280 Boulder Ave., includes existing resources, such as a food market, but will also feature new services, including a community room that will hold cooking classes and a new commercial kitchen fitted with equipment that will help defer waste by repackaging and repurposing food. “With the increased space and features, we can provide better food to more people now and long into the future, and it is a testament to the incredible support given to make it possible,” the food share’s current director Bruce Day said in a press release.In addition to the new building, Helena Food Share will welcome Jordan Evertz as the new director next month. Day announced his retirement earlier this year after nearly a decade with the organization. The resource center food market’s hours will be from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, and from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.Public NoticeThe Business Improvement District will hold a board meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 3:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in person at 330 Jackson St., and via Zoom. 5 Things to Know in Helena East Helena blood testing: Lewis and Clark Public Health has partnered with St. Peter’s Wellness Services to provide East Helena residents with free blood testing for the presence of lead. The East Helena Lead Education and Assistance Program, or LEAP, is a county public health project providing help and services to East Helena Superfund site residents. Blood testing is free and available to those 16 years and older. For more information on the testing or LEAP, visit the Lewis and Clark Public Health website.  Helena clean-up day: The Business Improvement District will host a downtown clean-up day on Wednesday, Oct. 16, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. BID staff are asking businesses to join in on the effort to clean up sidewalks and streets before the winter. The BID will provide brooms, pruning shears and garbage bags, but participants are asked to bring additional cleaning supplies.   Helena hosts nonprofit gathering: The Montana Nonprofit Association is holding its annual conference in Helena Oct. 9-11 at the Delta Marriott Hotel. The conference will bring together more than 300 of the state’s nonprofit organizations. The meeting will feature 50 speakers and discussions on topics including fundraising, advocacy, strategic planning and learning to communicate across political divides.Breast Cancer Awareness Week: A local group of volunteers is partnering with Pack the Place in Pink, a Montana organization that supports breast cancer patients and survivors, to host week-long events promoting cancer awareness and prevention. The event, named Boobiecon, is Monday, Oct. 14, through Saturday, Oct. 19. Boobiecon encourages local businesses and organizations to decorate their windows and storefronts with pink to show support during the week. Visit the organization’s website for additional information on how business owners can contribute. Historical Society Lecturer: Author J Hoolihan Clayton, part of the First Nations Plains Cree tribe, will present stories from her novels during an event at Touchmark Senior Living on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 1 p.m. The discussion will center around cultural and historical generalizations of American Indian people, which her books touch on. Might Be Fun Former National Book Award finalist and Edgar Allen Poe Award winner Jess Walter will speak at Carroll College on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. Walter will discuss his historical fiction book, “The Cold Millions,” which depicts the labor industry of the American West in the early 20th century. The event will also offer other Walter novels for sale through the Montana Book Co. and a book-signing opportunity. For more information about the event, visit the Lewis and Clark Library event website. Helena History A view of East Helena’s Main Street around 1900 shows Mount Helena and a streetcar in the background. Most of the buildings on the left side were burned down during a fire in 1919. Credit: “Helena As She Was” from the collection of Kennon Baird The post Helena Food Shareset to open new location appeared first on Montana Free Press.