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A husband-and-wife team noted for their efforts to help those less fortunate began Small Requests, a way to help those in need, and from that small beginning, other folks have chipped in to fill a gap. But how did it come about?
“Small Requests was born when the first stimulus check arrived in the mail,” said Donna Lunke, who, with her husband, Orvis, has long helped others, often silently.
“We had always filled a need that we heard of in Cook County, be it a pair of shoes for a high school student, snow pants for a kiddo, a scholarship for a graduating senior at CCHS, grocery gift cards, art supplies, Perler beads for special ed classes, etc.,” Donna said, noting, “The COVID shutdown spurred us on to do more mindful, systematic giving. Orvis is retired, so his pension didn’t stop, and I was considered an essential worker, so my paycheck didn’t either. We discussed how we could use that money to help folks in the community that the shutdown had impacted. We sent out two or three $100 checks a month to folks that we knew were not working or had medical issues or car trouble, and we knew could use a little help.
“When we ran out of folks known to us, said Donna, “I put a post on Facebook asking for help with names of friends and neighbors that had hit a bump in the road. People sent me private messages with names, and some wanted to contribute to our project. We received a couple of checks and then many more. So many that we opened a separate Small Requests checking account at Grand Marais State Bank and created a spreadsheet for ease of accounting and transparency. We keep our gifts to not more than $100 unless there is extreme need, and that’s the reason for the name.
Typically, said Donna, “We every month send out around a dozen checks or gift cards or pay on a utility bill to amazing community members that could use a little boost. But, we couldn’t do that without the help and generosity of wonderful community members from all over Cook County. Friends and neighbors know best when a friend has hit a rough patch and have been so helpful in getting names and addresses to us.
“We always send a note, making sure that the person knows that they are a valued part of our community. We prefer to do our project somewhat quietly, so no one is embarrassed.
“We are so proud of our little project and the impact that it has made on the recipients. We’ve received several thank you notes expressing how surprised and grateful the recipients were; that we made a difference in their life. That it made them feel good, that someone cared about them. When we started, I thought that the monetary part of our gift was most important, and it certainly is. Of course, $100 will help somewhere in their budget, but equally important is uplifting, brightening their day, feeling good, and feeling valued.
Financial and food insecurity in our community is real. Covid fatigue is real, and we just try to bring a bright spot in someone’s day that has hit an unexpected blip in their life.
“It takes a village, and we’ve got a great one!”
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