Kimball Area Food Shelf: ‘If you’re in need, we’re here to help’

As part of the Minnesota FoodShare March campaign, from March 1 to April 6, food shelves across the state turn in what they’ve collected – dollars and products – and a formula is used, based on those donations, to give extra dollars to these food shelves. Kimball Area Food Shelf participated in this effort, drawing in much local support.

Kimball Area Food Shelf director/manager Mary Mathies estimated that at least 135 different food shelves participated in this year’s campaign, while speaking with her “second-in-command” Jennifer Schiefelbein at the Kimball Area Food Shelf located
in St. Anne’s Catholic Church.

“It is well-promoted that this is the time to donate to your food shelves,” Schiefelbein said.

During this campaign, the Kimball Elementary School Student Government did just that with its annual food drive. According to a school Facebook post on the drive, the school collected 2,925 pounds of food (3,464 items) and $472 in cash donations for the Kimball Area Food Shelf. Kimball fifth-grade teachers Whitney Hunt and Theresa Niemi co-advise Student Government.

“We donate to the food shelf each year because we want our student government members to do some community service as part of their responsibilities as leaders at our school,” Hunt said via email. “We also know that many members of our community, including some of our students, take advantage of the food shelf, and that they are always in need.”

Schiefelbein gave these third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade Student Government students a tour of the local food shelf. From the entire experience, Hunt hopes the students learn “the power of giving.”

“We want them to understand the impact that their contributions have on the community,” Hunt said via email. “When Jennifer gives a tour to our student government members, she explains the needs in our community. This seems to make a positive impact on them because of the questions they ask during the tour and the comments we hear from them after.”

Thanks to donations like these, the Kimball Area Food Shelf is able to achieve its mission of being there for the people in its community. Mathies and Schiefelbein highlighted that local support, their monetary and food donations, their needs, including this April holiday season, their volunteers, and the reasons to be a part of the food shelf.

Local support

Besides just this Student Government food drive, the local food shelf has also received donations from across the community. Kimball Area High School’s FFA and National Honor Society did food drives, the Kimball Kruisers 4-H Club donated fruit, and numerous churches and community members made donations. Mathies and Schiefelbein consider this local support essential to keeping the food shelf running.

In the month of March, it raised $15,425; Mathies considering this total as the local shelf’s “very, very best year that we’ve ever had.” The total food poundage raised over that same time came in at 4,295. Mathies estimated that they get about a dollar back per pound.

“It was an overwhelming amount of food and donations,” Schiefelbein said, “that we received throughout the community this year [for the month of March].”

Mathies emphasized the destination of all these donations. “All of this stays here in Kimball at the food shelf,” Mathies said.

Food Shelf Background

Currently located inside the Church of Saint Anne’s, the Kimball Area Food Shelf started around 1987 or 1988, according to Mathies. Five area churches, Church of Saint Anne’s, St. John’s Lutheran Church, Kimball United Methodist Church, Kimball Church of Christ (now Kimball Christian Church), and the Concordia Lutheran Church of Fair Haven started the food shelf. All five churches still give to the food shelf, and the four Kimball churches each have two or three volunteers who come in to assist at the food shelf on a rotation.

Money donations

The dollars the food shelf raises go toward purchasing products through Second Harvest out of Minneapolis. The food shelf generally doesn’t have to pay as much for food through them, getting some of it for free. The Second Harvest truck comes up to Kimball twice a month, and the Kimball Area Food Shelf’s average bill per trip comes in at around $1,000, equal to roughly $2,000 per month at a minimum.

Food donations

Food and other products they receive directly from the community allow the shelf to have a more fun, brighter, and -variety-filled selection, Mathies and Schiefel-bein said. This extends to hygienic products. For example, they’ve received razors and shaving lotion as community donations.

“They never have them [razors] down at Second Harvest for us to get,” Mathies said, “… but people need them.”

Speaking of hygienic products, the food shelf’s biggest current needs are women’s Depends products, tampons, and baby diapers – products they can rarely find through Second Harvest.

As for food products, they also are in need of cake mixes, Jell-O, and more cereal varieties.

Once a month the food shelf sends backpacks over to the Kimball Elementary School for those students who don’t have enough food to make it through the weekend. They fill these backpacks with foods such as smaller cereals, macaroni cups, juice boxes, shelf-stable milk, flip-top lid items, fresh fruit, granola bars, snacks. They are always in need of these types of smaller items.

“We have no idea if the kids are able to do it themselves,” Mathies said about making the backpack food, “but we try to do it so that, if they need to make the meal themselves, they can.”

Knowing that students as young as preschool are getting these backpacks, Schiefelbein, who sets up these backpacks, said she tries to make it as easy as possible for these students. They also try to keep these backpacks filled with nutritional foods, but will give them a treat.

Holiday season

As the April holiday is upon us, the Kimball Area Food Shelf did get hams through Second Harvest, allowing them to give everyone a ham. They also recently got as many as 20 confetti pies last week through Second Harvest.

In terms of holiday-related donations, they could use more of the boxed scalloped potatoes, and any sides that would pair well with ham. If people want to donate any holiday sweets, such as jelly beans or Peeps, those donations also are welcome.

Reason to take part

Local support – from volunteering to donating – allows the food shelf to keep running. Volunteering would only potentially be needed once a month, from about 9:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., Mathies said. People could also help by unloading the Second Harvest truck twice a month.

“As far as giving [food or money], it’s so that we can keep and continue to get the foods up that we need,” Mathies said, “or to go out and buy what we need.

Schiefelbein emphasized the local aspect of this food shelf when asked why people should consider being part of its efforts.

“Volunteer hours, your money stays within the Kimball community and helps our small towns stay strong,” Schiefelbein said. “It’s supporting people right here in Kimball, little outside our area, get through some tough times, and that’s important for our town.”

As for those who are on the receiving end of that support, Mathies emphasized how they serve anyone who walks through their door, not discriminating against anyone.

“If you’re in need,” Schiefelbein said, “we’re here to help.”

The food shelf is open on Tuesday and Thursday. It is closed on these days if school is closed or late due to weather. Schiefelbein emphasized to people that, if these times don’t work, to leave them a message and they will see what they can do to meet these individuals up at the food shelf at a different time. Located at 441 Hazel Avenue East, the food shelf’s phone number is (320) 398-3415. Its website is www.kimballfoodshelf.com .

Whenever clients stop by the food shelf to receive local donations, Mathies has a message for them: “[We] urge them to take what they need,” Mathies said, “… take as much as what you can use, and they do.”

Other area food shelves

Annandale Food Shelf: (320) 274-3663; annandalefs@gmail.com; PO Box 94, 390 Annandale Blvd., Annandale MN 55302

Buffalo Food Shelf: (763) 684-1699; 301 12th Ave. S., Buffalo MN 55313

Clearwater/Clear Lake Food Shelf (320) 558-2954; 1135 County Rd. 75 NW, Clearwater MN 55320

Cokato Food Shelf-Food Distribution Center: (320) 333-7877; 395 Broadway Ave. S., Cokato MN 55321

Meeker Area Food Shelf Dassel location: (320) 275-0124; 531 Atlantic Ave. W., Dassel MN 55325

Meeker Area Food Shelf Litchfield location: (320) 693-7661; 118 N. Sibley Ave., Litchfield MN 55355

WCCA Food Shelf and Thrift Store: (320) 963-6500 ext. 231; 411 Elm Ave., Waverly MN 55390