The 2019 Minnesota FoodShare March campaign is going on now and the Richland Wilkin Food Pantry needs your help. Food pantry Director Lois Fenske said donations are down drastically this year, but with the current food share campaign, any donations will be matched proportionally by Minnesota FoodShare, which helps stock nearly 300 food shelves across the state.
Wednesday morning, Pastor Mark Gronseth, United Methodist Church in Breckenridge, Minnesota, was dropping off a check from his congregation in the amount of $640. He said the church also collects food items each Sunday and brings those in monthly, as well.
Fenske said with the federal government shutdown earlier this year affecting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the food pantry let clients come through twice in February.
“We probably had the busiest month we’ve ever had,” she said. “It wasn’t unusual to have 24 clients a day. Usually we get between six and 10 per day.”
She said the client load has stayed fairly level, but donations are down this year. Fenske wants to get the word out that the food pantry can use additional monetary donations and food donations.
Last year, the food pantry helped an average of 250 clients each month, which translates to approximately 25,000 pounds of food monthly that gets distributed to food insecure residents in the area.
The food pantry also purchases food to supplement their shelves through Great Plains Food Bank in Fargo, and spends about $2,500 per month. They also have to purchase fresh milk and eggs.
Local grocery stores Econofoods and Walmart donate consistently to the food pantry, Fenske said.
“Monday, Wednesday and Friday I get donations from them. We would be completely lost without Walmart. They give us the fresher produce and meat,” she continued.
Those wanting to donate can mail a check or drop it off. Food can be donated anytime between 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The top 10 needs this month are:
• canned meals
• pasta sauce/ketchup/salsa
• canned meat
• fruit juice
• laundry detergent
• body wash
• instant oatmeal
• flour/sugar
The Richland Wilkin Food Pantry is located at 699 Eighth Ave. S., Wahpeton. For more information, call Fenske at 701-403-0230.
