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BILLINGS FOOD BANK INC

EIN 36-3519470 BILLINGS, MT

Largest nonprofits in Montana

Revenue 2023
$30,619,786
Expenses 2023
$29,166,555

Program services were 99.1% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

As filed

Subsection
03
NTEE code
K31Z
Classification
1000
Street
2112 4TH AVE N

These codes are the IRS's own and are shown exactly as filed. What each one means is in the Business Master File documentation (opens in a new tab).

Mission and programs · 2023

Mission

To assume a leadership role in feeding the hungry by recovering, securing, purchasing, and delivering (both through other agencies and directly) quality food and other products while playing a strong education and advocacy role in hunger-related issues; doing all within our power to address root causes of hunger and encourage economic growth.At the Billings Food Bank our mission is to provide food for today and hope for tomorrow. We believe every human deserves to have their basic needs met and feel equipt to thrive! In this spirit, we celebrate diversity in the communities we serve and foster an environment of inclusion with our employees, volunteers, and community members.

  • Billings Food Bank was formed in 1982. Originally designed to serve agencies having food programs, and primarily in Yellowstone County. It has now evolved into a truly independent food bank responding to requests from anywhere throughout the world. If we have the ability to help, we do. In addition to food, we also supply appliances, furniture, equipment, household needs, beds, and mattresses, as available.In the last 20 years we have also established the Fortin Culinary Center where we teach culinary job training skills. We have so far had over 200 graduates of this program with a 99% success rate of placing those individuals in jobs. The demand for people with culinary skills is tremendous. We have a very strict set of rules for our students as there is no charge for the course, but if you dont show up you are not allowed to continue. We have literally changed lives with this program. We are truly proud to have moved many of our students from a generational norm of living on the system, to now being productive members of the work force.Our Fortin Culinary Center has also become a source of revenue and training for our students and others. We have a large reception hall seating 300 which can be divided into two sections for meetings, weddings, receptions, company parties, memorial services, job training sessions, Serve Safe Classes, etc. We serve many banquets on a regular basis, which of course, is tremendous training for our students. We also utilize our certified commercial kitchen and food processing center (originally funded in part with a Montana State Growth Thru Ag Grant)to prepare meals for other agencies and programs. We prepared over 301,000 meals for the homeless population and other social services agencies. Using our facility we have processed, preserved and repackaged hundreds of thousand pounds of meats, produce, beans (dry) etc. for use in preparing these meals. The Culinary Center is also a shared use facility for food entrepreneurs to test new products or use as a new business base. We have been a starting point for many! We opened our Fortin Caf and Gift shop in response to a neighborhood demand, which has now turned into a popular breakfast and lunch venue. It is also a great training field for our students, many of whom we actually hire. We have two fulltime chefs, one teaches our classes and one runs the caf. We also encourage social enterprise by promoting and selling art and other items for area artists. And we rent our beautiful commercial kitchen to entrepreneurs wishing to start or expand their food related business. We do this on an hourly basis so young businesses do not have to incure a heavy debt load as their business develops. We have been the catalyst for many businesses that have now grown and started their own places.We provide cooking and nutrition classes to not only our recipients, but to youth and others as our time and facility use allows. We serve as a training ground for many folks with special needs, and have actually hired several.We have also co-sponsored many causes and events, such as "The Cooking for Kidneys" for folks with kidney issues (5,000); Quilts & Blankets (1,507); Pet Food Pantry (15,811); Baby Pantry (4,321); Hygiene Kits (10,493); Backpacks for Kids w/ School Supplies (3,600) as well as Snack Packs for Kids with food; and more. The breakdown for ages: 28% 0-17; 47% 18-60; 23% 60 and up.

    Expenses $28,897,554

As filed on the 2023 return.

Officers and directors · 2023

As listed in Part VII of the 2023 return, in the order the filer printed them. Each return names its own; this is not a roster the organization keeps with us.

  • Sheryle Shandy

    Executive Dir.

    Total calculated
    $103,073
    From this org
    $103,073
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    45

  • John Gott

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Lenny Brown

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Lee Nixon

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Kathy Whittenberger

    President & CEO

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. Earlier years are each on their own filing page.

Filings

  • 2023
    Revenue
    $30,619,786
    Expenses
    $29,166,555
    Contributions
    $30,604,886
    Grants paid
    $0
  • 2022
    Revenue
    $29,099,054
    Expenses
    $29,227,435
    Contributions
    $29,084,894
    Grants paid
    $0

The four totals the IRS asks for on Part I of the Form 990, as filed. A dash means the figure was not present on the return — not that it was zero.

Other returns filed

  • 2021 · 990

    Revenue
    $71,013,689
    Expenses
    $71,600,717
    Assets (EOY)
    $6,934,571

  • 2020 · 990

    Revenue
    $50,002,296
    Expenses
    $48,951,795
    Assets (EOY)
    $7,614,272

  • 2019 · 990

    Revenue
    $34,990,007
    Expenses
    $34,577,515
    Assets (EOY)
    $7,024,429

  • 2018 · 990

    Revenue
    $34,573,848
    Expenses
    $34,826,811
    Assets (EOY)
    $6,566,103

  • 2017 · 990

    Revenue
    $32,846,028
    Expenses
    $33,982,530
    Assets (EOY)
    $6,907,367

  • 2016 · 990

    Revenue
    $31,816,883
    Expenses
    $33,211,664
    Assets (EOY)
    $8,054,433

  • 2015 · 990

    Revenue
    $32,350,519
    Expenses
    $32,768,119
    Assets (EOY)
    $8,940,860

  • 2014 · 990

    Revenue
    $34,268,494
    Expenses
    $35,091,578
    Assets (EOY)
    $9,570,857

  • 2013 · 990

    Revenue
    $31,383,566
    Expenses
    $31,130,896
    Assets (EOY)
    $10,473,841

  • 2012 · 990

    Revenue
    not reported
    Expenses
    $29,003,539
    Assets (EOY)
    $10,205,862

Nonprofiteer parses Forms 990, 990-EZ and 990-PF, in a window of recent tax years. These returns are recorded from the IRS e-file index, so their figures were extracted by that index rather than read from the return here — treat them as a different source from the filings above, not as more of the same record. A dash means the index carries no figure; Form 990-T listings carry none at all. Showing the 10 most recent; the API carries the rest.

Grants made

No itemized grants to organizations. Schedule I is filed only by organizations that granted more than $5,000 to a recipient, so most filers have none.

Grants received

The 10 largest by cash amount. The API serves every itemized grant.

Other IRS files

Auto-Revocation List

Not listed. The IRS publishes this list for organizations whose exemption was automatically revoked for failing to file for three consecutive years.

Publication 78

Listed as of 13 October 2026, under deductibility PC.

These are two separate IRS files on two separate schedules, shown as published and not reconciled with each other. Neither is a statement about whether a contribution is deductible today: 19,245 organizations appear in Publication 78 while the IRS's own revocation file lists them as currently revoked, more than half of those revoked before 2019. Absence from Publication 78 is evidence of nothing, and presence is not evidence either. Verify current status with the IRS before relying on it.

What this page reflects

The registration facts above come from the IRS Business Master File published 13 October 2026 and read 1 November 2026, for every organization at once. Returns through tax year 2023, the newest we have parsed for this organization.