DETROIT LAKES — The Becker County Food Pantry is 40 years old!
The food pantry was incorporated in July of 1982, under the leadership of Anna Haugen, Bette Kjos, Mary Alberts, Signe Youngquist, Elaine Forsell, Julie Sanders-Merritt and Jean Bauer. It was officially recognized by the state of Minnesota on April 8, 1983. Prior to that time, families in need sought help from area churches. The food pantry helped them by coordinating that effort in one location — initially, the basement of the old junior high school (now the basement of the Historic Holmes Theatre). They operated out of that facility "with one room and a donated refrigerator," according to a press release detailing the organization's history. No perishables were generally given out at that time, due to lack of storage.
All unloading was done by hand, with everything carried downstairs to be stored. Clients had to get “vouchers” from either Social Services or from an area church to be able to utilize the food pantry. The pantry's first major fundraiser was a “Walk for Hunger,” held in the fall of 1982. A total of 250 individuals, some in wheelchairs, walked the 11 miles around Lake Detroit and raised $7,600, of which the food pantry received one-fourth to help finance the needs of the community.
Around 1999, the city of Detroit Lakes offered the use of the waterworks building where they have been ever since — but two decades later, the organization had begun to outgrow its home, and plans began to move to a new home.
In March, the food pantry received a $75,000 grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation that provided the final piece of funding for construction of a new building — though the bulk of it was funded by donations of $250,000 each from both Becker County and the city of Detroit Lakes (using American Rescue Plan Act dollars), along with some private donations as well.
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Foltz Buildings is expected to begin installing the food pantry's new home on Terry Street sometime later this month, according to Dale Storey, president of the food pantry's board of directors.
"We're just waiting for everything to dry," said Storey of the plans to finish construction on the new building. They hope to be ready to move in "by the end of November," he added.
"It will be twice the size of our current building," said Brad Carlson, the food pantry's executive director.
And it's not a moment too soon, Storey said, adding, "our numbers are really increasing."
"We're at pre-pandemic levels," Carlson said. "For the month of April, we served 469 households and 1,422 people.
"So far this year we have served 1,637 households and 4,935 people," Carlson said.
A direct comparison between January-April 2019 (pre-pandemic) and January-April 2023 statistics shows "we are at 112% of pre-pandemic families, but at 96% of pre-pandemic people," Carlson said.
In addition to a lack of storage space to accommodate the increased usage, the food pantry's current facility has some safety issues as well as a lack of handicap accessibility, according to Carlson.
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Where the food comes from
When Aldi’s, Central Market or Walmart have expiring or damaged products, surplus produce, and egg cartons with cracked eggs, they are donated to the pantry, which regularly picks up food that might otherwise be thrown out. Along with KFC and other local restaurants and stores, the pantry averages over 10,000 pounds of rescued food from retailers each month, according to a food pantry press release.
The Pantry also purchases groceries and supplies locally and through the North Country Food Bank in East Grand Forks, which facilitates deliveries of federally subsidized foods for as little as 10 cents a pound. Donations of non-perishables and fresh produce from the public are also sorted and distributed to those in need. Large donation events, such as the upcoming Becker County Fair Carnival collection result in many thousands of pounds of food to fill the shelves.
Like the Pantry's founding ladies, volunteers make all this work possible. In fact, over 150 volunteer hours a week are necessary for the twice-weekly distribution days (Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12-3 p.m.) and donation collection days in between. New volunteers are needed and appreciated, especially during semitruck unloading days and for jobs requiring heavy lifting. Volunteers may choose to be on-call or commit to a set schedule. Anyone interested in learning more can call Brad Carlson, food pantry executive director, at 218-846-0142.
