Food Shelf welcomes donations from gardens

During June this year, the Waseca area shelf served 680 households, which encompassed more than 1,500 people and provided more than 20,000 pounds of food support. Food shelf director Cindy Kolander expects the July numbers to be higher.

 

“What really touches my heart,” Kolander observes, “is when families come to the shelf saying they have gone hungry because they couldn’t afford the amount of food they need. It really saddens me to think of children going without meals.”

 

She can’t help mentioning the irony that families may be short on food when many gardeners are beginning to harvest fresh produce and are frequently looking for places to share their extra cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant and more.

 

“We can distribute those types of produce on our shelves,” she says. “With fresh food being so nutritious and good-tasting, we'd be thrilled to have them among our offerings.” Kolander even offers that, if gardeners need some help harvesting some of their produce, they should consider contacting the Waseca Area Neighborhood Service Center, which is associated with the food shelf. “We might be able to find some volunteers willing to help,” she suggests, remembering that the University of Minnesota Southern Research and Outreach Center has previously reached out, and volunteers have found time to harvest SROC crops ranging from green beans and sweet corn to pumpkins.

 

For those not in a position to donate from their gardens, Kolander continues, the food shelf always accepts donations of food and donations of cash.

 

“In many ways, money is the better option, mostly because the food shelf can get lower prices on food as the food shelf can purchase items in bulk, lowering the overall cost per item: Sometimes we can buy two or more times as much of something as a consumer might pay for only one at the store.” Being the one making the purchasing decisions, she adds, also allows food shelf staff to place orders for items which fill current needs.

 

For those who choose to shop for their donations, among staples in constant demand are items such as peanut butter, ramen noodles, and cereal.

 

The Waseca food shelf is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon, and then from 1 to 4 p.m. People wishing to donate can stop by any time during open hours. Those wishing to make use of the shelf’s services are asked to contact the food shelf at 507-833-4119 Ext 302 during operating hours to make an appointment in advance. 

 

For new families that are in need of food support, on their initial visit to the food shelf they will be asked to complete a self-reporting form that indicates their income is 300% or less of the poverty level. They are also asked to provide some basic information such as name, number and ages of people in the household. They then are offered a shopping experience a maximum of once per week to pick out their food choices to take home. 

 

The food shelf’s list of most needed items includes ramen noodles, tuna, spaghetti sauce, pasta noodles, canned fruit (any kind), cereal, canned vegetables (any kind), peanut butter, crackers, jelly, granola bars, instant mashed potatoes, Hamburger Helper, Tuna Helper, PastaRoni, ketchup, salad dressing or mayonnaise, mustard, tomatoes, tomato sauce, soup (any kind), macaroni and cheese, cake mix and frosting, applesauce, flour, sugar, Spam, canned luncheon meat, and produce of any kind - fruits or vegetables. The food shelf gladly accepts extra garden produce from any grower.