FARGO (AP) - The Great Plains Food Bank is expanding, with demands for its services growing faster than its food supplies, its director says.

"We need to really reach the smallest communities in the most rural areas of the state," director Steve Sellent said.

The food bank plans to expand its mobile food pantry and its Daily Bread program, which distributes surplus meals and perishable foods from restaurants, hotels, schools, hospitals and grocery stores.

Great Plains, the only food bank in North Dakota, supplies area food pantries and other groups. A ceremony is planned at its Fargo headquarters Tuesday to mark 25 years of service in the area.

The food bank started in Fargo with one van and two employees in the back of a rented space in 1983. In 25 years, it has distributed 75 million pounds of food, expanded its reach through 236 charitable feeding programs in 80 communities, and has a volunteer list of more than 2,300 people.

Tony Ingle, who was vice president of Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota in 1981, is credited with bringing the food bank idea to the region.

People with stoic Scandinavian, Orthodox Russian and German backgrounds were reluctant to talk about hunger in their families, Ingle recalled. Rather than talk about it, he said, "You were going to suffer through it."

Carrington Daily Bread co-director Laura Irion said the Great Plains Food Bank has been a huge contributor to the food pantry in her community.

"I think they've done a great job," Irion said. "I'm sure other communities will realize that Great Plains is a wonderful program. They're really good people who really care."

Sellent said Great Plains served more than 50,000 people last year.

"There's a face and a story and a hardship for every one of those 52,000 faces," he said.

Sellent, who has been with Great Plains for nearly 18 years, said it continues to grow and change.

"I think our most exciting time is still ahead of us," he said.