NORTH DAKOTA (KXNET) — Tackling food insecurity. That's what the Great Plains Food Bank is doing with the help of District 22 State Representative Brandy Pyle this session. Pyle, who is introducing House Bill 1143, would establish a new charitable food recovery and distribution facility in the state taking a step forward in addressing the needs of those experiencing food insecurity. The communications manager for the Great Plains Food Bank, Darby Njos, says that the current building that they operate out of does not meet the needs for what they do. "We've been in this building since 2000 and it wasn't built for the type of work we do," said Njos. The new building would cost $10 million and would allow for a higher volume of distribution across more counties in North Dakota, as well as better storage. "One way we can do that is by growing our current space to better suit the needs we have and our state has so we can distribute wider ranges more often store food so we can better distribute it as well," said Njos. Njos says that more people rely on the food bank than most people care to think about. "One in six North Dakotans and one in four children rely on services provided by the Great Plains Foof Bank, they use one of our partner pantries they use one of our mobile food pop-ups," said Njos. Great Plains Food Bank supports bill to combat hunger However, food insecurity can affect many different people, in different parts of the state. The Lord's Cupboard food pantry greeter in Minot, Tom McManhan, says that at The Lord's Cupboard, no one group of people is the same. "You see people come in that you normally wouldn't think about that have a need, our purpose is not to provide everything for everybody, it's just to help people out," said McManhan. The Great Plains Food Bank is the state's only food bank that sources and distributes 88% of the food utilized by the charitable feeding network, and while the food bank does serve over 145,000 people, that number could be changing. "We do see an increased need as the years go on. The NDSU just put out a study showing food insecurity is up and so kind of going to that food insecurity is up, especially in some of our southern counties. We've been working hard to reevaluate that research in those areas that need it most," said Njos. While the facility will be partially funded by the proposed grant program, it will also require recipients to provide matching funds to keep engagement strong. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Today's Top Stories SIGN UP NOW