Rainy River Community College students benefit from Ruby's Pantry guests - International Falls Journal

Rainy River Community College students benefit from Ruby's Pantry guests - International Falls Journal

Hunger and food insecurity among some Rainy River Community College students is a problem to RRCC Trio Program leader, LeAnne Hardy.

Those facing the high cost of college education were often living on shoestring budgets, she realized. Some can face this issue every day, and problems with lack of food can harm a student’s educational effort.

Hardy saw the student’s needs and moved forward to alleviate the problem.

Together with a community of collaborators from the Backus Community Center, Falls Hunger Coalition, Second Harvest Food Bank, Ruby’s Pop-Up Pantry and the Rainy River College Foundation the Voyageur Food Pantry for RRCC students was founded in early February.

The founding objectives are to make sure those who need food do not go without and to ensure funding is in place to keep the Voyageur Food Pantry, or VFP, open and stocked. Volunteers purchase, stock and inventory the VFP regularly. They survey student food preferences.

Students that visit the VFP can choose from food that meets their needs. The only thing asked is for them to put a check mark on the sign-in board indicating they visited the pantry: no questions asked.

Lee Grim, Ruby’s Promotion Coordinator presented a $500 donation from the International Falls Ruby’s Pantry Benevolence Fund to LeAnne Hardy, who accepted on behalf of the Voyageur Food Pantry, to sustain the VFP work. Cash contributions to the Backus Community Center, which serves as fiscal agent for VFP, earmarked for the pantry are also welcomed.

Every Ruby’s Pantry guest that donates $20 USA cash at a Ruby’s Pantry food distribution donates $2 dollars of the $20 to the International Falls Benevolence Fund. Upon request, money from the fund is distributed to nonprofit organizations or groups in the greater International Falls area.

Community members that have attended Ruby’s monthly distributions have donated $20,250 in response to more than 3o requests to the benevolence committee. Committee guidelines for requesting funds can be obtained by calling Backus Community Center at 285-7225.

The next Ruby's Pop-up Pantry Distribution at Backus Community Center is at 5 p.m. May 14. Anyone who eats qualifies to participate.