Commentary; Posted: 8/18/04

Why the FL area needs 2 food shelves

Becky Bottema
Guest Columnist

Why are there two food shelves in Forest Lake? This question has been echoing through the community since Family Pathways opened a new food pantry in May. The short answer is that Family Pathways and Community Helping Hand are working together to better serve those in need.

There has been an increase in demand for food assistance throughout the nation and that includes Forest Lake.

Community Helping Hand is an emergency food shelf. Their guidelines state that an individual or family can be given food three times per year if they are in a crisis situation. All the food is prepackaged according to the size of the family and the ages of the children.

The Family Pathways food pantry allows individuals or families to come in once per month. They help families that regularly need assistance and meet the guidelines set by federal standards. The families get to choose their own food according to family size. The food shelf and food pantry are also open corresponding hours to better serve people that need immediate assistance. The two agencies are continually working together by sharing resources and soliciting donations, each providing their own unique services to the community.

The need for the food pantries has dramatically increased in the past few years. Some reasons for the increases include the unemployment increases, higher housing costs and living costs, including grocery prices.

Even though 70 percent of poor people with children include a person who works, families are finding it more and more difficult to make ends meet. It is especially hard for families when a crisis occurs, such as hours being cut back at work or an illness occurs. In fact, nearly 30 percent of emergency food recipients have had to choose between paying for food or paying for medicine or medical care in the past 12 months.

It may be hard to believe there are truly needy people in our community, but there are many hungry people living near us. Statistics show that 6.3 percent of Forest Lake households are living in poverty.

Who are these people? Look at the home across the street, or even your next-door neighbor, the people who work around you, maybe even your friend. The largest percentages of those families who use the food pantry are not welfare families or the unemployed. Keep in mind that consistently 50 percent of the clients we serve are children and 35 percent are retired or have a disability that prevents them from working.

These working families struggle because there is very little help or assistance for them. They make more money than allowed to qualify for food stamps or medical assistance, yet they still do not have enough money for essential items every month. So often they have to make choices between paying a bill or buying food.

These are the individuals and families who slip through the cracks. This is a main reason Family Pathways and Community Helping Hand are working together to serve the community.

Our goal is for you to understand our mission to provide food assistance and a little hope for families. We obviously cannot do it alone and need you to get involved!

Ways you can make a difference:

ïMake a cash donation ó the food shelves have access to discounted food through regional food banks, allowing them to get more food for less cost.

ïVolunteer ó volunteers make it happen! Call Family Pathways or Community Helping Hand today to find out how you can help.

ïDonate products ó food items as well as hygiene items are always needed. Spaghetti sauce, pasta, potatoes, juice, peanut butter and jelly, cereal, paper products, and soap are items that are consistently in demand.

Community Helping Hand, 408 SW 15th St., is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Call 651-464-8150 for more information. Family Pathways Food Pantry, 255 Highway 97, Suite 7B, is open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Mondays, 9 to 6 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 9 to noon on Saturdays. Call 651-464-2098 for more information.

Writer Becky Bottema is manager of the Family Pathways Food Pantry in Forest Lake.

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