posted on Monday, July 31, 2017
Continuing on the theme of new pantries... the Grand Meadow Food Shelf was another new connection that we were thrilled to have made as we continue our journey donating pork loins throughout northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota.
Located in a shopping center -- yes, a shopping center in a town of 1,200! -- it's not uncommon for the Grand Meadow Food Shelf to have a line out the door on the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month when they're open for donations. "It's eye-opening how much food insecurity there is in a small town like ours," said Dawn Stier, one of the dedicated food shelf volunteers. "If we open at 4:30 PM, there will already be a line at 4 PM. People need nutritious food and unfortunately they can't always afford it. That's where we step in to help."
On our first visit to the Grand Meadow Food Shelf our crew was able to unload 6 cases of fresh, nutritious (and did we mention delicious?) pork loins. "Would you look at the size of those things!" Exclaimed Kathy Berge, who is another friendly face at the food shelf. "These are going to feed so many people, I just can't believe it!"
In addition to volunteers like Dawn and Kathy the food shelf relies on community support to stay afloat and serve 22 families every week. "Our community is very small, but we're also very close-knit," explained Dawn. "We care about each other and if a family needs something, there is always someone there to step up and help out. I suppose that's the beauty of small town USA."
Thank you Dawn and Kathy for all you do to support the community of Grand Meadow. We look forward to seeing you again next year!
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