The Cook County Food Shelf got a nice infusion of much needed cash recently from the Cook County Whole Foods Co-op. Although winter is over the food shelf still needs donations of food and money to meet the needs of people who haven’t started seasonal work yet. Food shelf volunteer Gwen Lenz was happy to accept the check. (L-R) Kathy Bolstad, Co-op Director Jennifer Stolz , Gwen Lenz and Jill Levene.
With winter in the frost covered rearview mirror and spring scrambling to gain a green foothold, many forget that this in-between time is hardest on people who need food.
“Summer jobs haven’t started yet and it’s still too early to garden,” said Cook County Food Shelf volunteer Gwen Lenz. “Although heating needs are gone, many people who donate to the Cook County Food Shelf stop giving during this time of year,”
Meanwhile, said Lenz, “Those who have relied on the Cook County Food Shelf don’t have work yet and with donations low, this check will come in handy to help refill the pantry.”
The $2,202.74 check Lenz was referring to was a gift from the Cook County Whole Foods Co-op which donated it April 27 as the culmination of the co-op’s participation in the Minnesota FoodShare March Campaign.
“Half of this money came from our ‘round-up’ program at the registers,” said Co-op director Jennifer Stolz. “The other half was from direct donations.”
The round-up program allows customers to donate change that would be coming back to them to the food shelf.
“This isn’t the first time we have given to the food shelf, but it is the first time we have had a round-up program,” said Stolz. “We ran this for a couple of months and it seemed to work well. Whether people give 12 cents or 50 cents from a purchase, it all adds up.”
The Minnesota FoodShare March Campaign has been in operation for more than 30 years. The annual grassroots food and fund drive provides more than half of the food distributed by 300 food shelves throughout the state.
“The March Campaign is the only statewide effort where every dollar donated goes directly to food shelves to purchase food for the hungry,” said Stolz. “Cook County Whole Foods Co-op along with 14 other food co-ops in Minnesota participated this March. As a group we raised $116,597 and collected 9,900 pounds of food for Minnesota Food Shelves.”
The Cook County Food Shelf is located in the basement of the First Congregational Church in Grand Marais, 300 West Second Street. It opens every Monday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and is open the first Wednesday night of each month from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The food shelf also accepts and distributes food for pets.
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