Admit it, your first image of a food shelf doesn’t really look like the above picture, does it? Food shelves have been working hard to get healthier foods into their clients’ kitchens. The trend has been towards more fresh produce and less processed foods. Of course, many non-perishable staples are well, still staples of the food shelf. But with focused effort the fresh options have increased dramatically.

WBAEFS Staff at the 2016 Community Roots Garden Party

Andréa Kish-Bailey (just left of the bear)Executive Director of the White Bear Area Emergency Food Shelf (WBAEFS) states as a central goal of the organization to “Increase access to healthy food to our neighbors.”  And they’ve been doing just that since Andrea came on board two years ago.

Partnering with generous groups and companies like Bear Power, Costa’s Greenhouse and Farm , Heinel Farms, Tamarak Nature Center, and the Vadnais Heights Farmers Market has made a big difference in the kind of food available. Healthier food offerings coupled with the promotion of healthy eating practices are making a difference in our neighbors’ overall health.

 

Neighborhood Hub
Even before you walk in the doors of this food shelf, you’re greeted with one of the town’s signature white bear statues, so it feels more like a neighbor’s home than a Food Shelf. The genuine smiles from volunteers welcomed visitors at the front desk. When I visited, there were neighbors waiting to shop at their appointed time, all chatting it up together.

And volunteers they have, Lee Bailey-Seiler, volunteer coordinator at WBAEFS, mentioned many times how “we’re so fortunate to be in this community where people are so willing to help out. We’ve got great volunteers that, if we need help, we know we can count on them.”

One recent example of some serious volunteer work hours was during the Stamp Out Hunger food drive that the Postal Workers coordinate.

The food starting pouring in – EIGHT TONS of it in two days. (Umm, that’s 16,000 pounds!) Lee wasn’t sure of the total number of volunteers for that massive food drop- but over the course of last year they had over 221 volunteers that give 9,722 hours of their time to help neighbors. Way to go White Bear lake!

Growing Their Own
Another tangible way WBAEFS is working hard to get local, healthy foods to their neighbors is growing food in their own on-site garden. Love this! The garden began as a project of two long devoted volunteers that looked at the old rock pile behind the food shelf building and envisioned a vegetable garden. They cleared it out, put in drain tile (it sits close to the bog level out back) and added truck-loads of good soil. For the last few years this garden has been adding fresh produce to our neighbor’s kitchens. They take advantage of the summer growing season by adding healthy recipes for neighbors to use; if its tomato season they’ll have a salsa recipe on hand. Way to go Garden Volunteers!

Lee scoping out the early season garden (I promise there’s lots more green now)!

Cummins proudly sponsored the Community Roots Garden which has harvested over 400 pounds of fresh veggies for families utilizing the food shelf. The garden sponsorship includes a shed which will allow volunteers to tend to the garden on evenings and weekends when the food shelf is closed.

 

Community Roots Garden Party!
The garden is (obviously) the focal point of the upcoming 2nd Annual Community Roots Garden Party they’re hosting on June 25th from 2-5pm. A family friendly event celebrating the community the food shelf serves. Do some Yoga with Yoga devotions, the kids can high five “Sprout” the Bear Power mascot, jump in the bouncy house…and you guys, Uptown Girl Cupcakes will be there in their Cupake Chariot! University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardeners will also be on site to offer demonstrations on Salad container gardening, straw bale gardening, and composting techniques. Follow the Garden Party’s Facebook Event to stay up to date!

Bring in your Beans!
As more and more people are growing (at least a little) food of their own, food shelves are starting to receive produce donations from backyard gardeners! Did you know that you can bring your extra beans, potatoes and tomatoes to the food shelf!? Just check when they are open and drop them off.
*But, if they aren’t open for a few days, please remember you can freeze most vegetables to use later – just saying 😉

 

Chris Harms of Giving Gardens

Volunteer crew with Anna & Jesse’s Urban Farming for Food Shelf initiative

Some people are taking this sharing of homegrown goodness idea to a (slightly – ha) larger scale – like Chris Harms of Growing Gardens. He has coordinated the acquisition and giving away of fifty 4’ X 8’ raised garden beds to locals with the goal of getting more people growing local food. The families that received the raised beds to grow food are asked to give a majority (51%) of the food they grow back to their local food shelf. Follow Giving Gardens on Facebook  and read my article Grass Rooting for Good Food on this White Bear Lake local food initiative.  Chris Harms jumped into this project after reading a book that’s now on my “to read” list called ‘Confronting Suburban Poverty in America’  , any of you guys read this?

And then there’s Anna and Jesse who love farming on urban plots of land and sending the produce along to the Merrick Food Shelf! I got to find out about them and shared it in my Farming for a Food Shelf post.

Lee mentioned that hunger in White Bear Lake looks different than what you might expect. The neighbors that use the Food Shelf may live in a nice home or drive up in a nice car, but because of circumstances like someone losing their job, getting injured, or sick (hello medical bills) they suddenly have to choose between paying the mortgage or buying food; making the car payment or buying food.

Which leads to another surprise of my interview with Lee, that
“often, we’re their first stop, the first time a person needs any kind of assistance. You can fake a lot of things, but you can’t ignore hunger.”

Because of this understanding that this may well be a new visitors first encounter with any kind of assistance, the initial check in is usually quick and gets them the food they need. If a neighbor comes back a second time, they may talk about other resources available. This is a beautiful secondary function of food shelves; last year WBAEFS referred 370 families to resources like energy assistance, WIC (Women, Infant, Child), Food assistance and medical assistance.

Another surprise was Lee sharing that “for us at WBAEFS, hunger is a short-term problem unless we’re talking about a senior or someone receiving disability. The average number of food shelf visits is 4.5-5. That number made me face some of my stereotypes about who uses food shelves (and I volunteer at one).

So how do they do what they do?

Lee stated multiple times how lucky the WBAEFS is to have such great community partners; like how they ‘rent’ the building from the City of White Bear Lake for $1 per year. Its the old city works building and thought this was a great use of their space.

Straight from Andrea, “The Cummins Foundation provided a grant supporting the work of Katie Roessler, a Six Sigma Black Belt, to update the food shelf warehouse to one that maximizes safety and efficiency.  The warehouse is now complete with a first in first out process, a roomy food sorting station for volunteers, rolling stairs, fans in the market area and more! Additionally, the grant provided new freezers and coolers to triple the food shelf’s capacity to accept and distribute food rescue product from local grocery stores.  This includes additional meat, dairy and produce items allowing healthier choices for our neighbors at the food shelf.”

 

This food shelf supplies its neighbors with food by buying, food banks, and donations.

Food Buy the Numbers:

1/3 is bought – 1/3 comes from Food Banks – 1/3 comes from Food Drives

They’re also adding new ways to reach clients that may not be able to make it out to them with their Mobile Markets, going to 4 locations in the area (mostly senior apartments). They received a Mobile Market grant from Hunger Solutions for the truck.  The refrigeration was purchased with the money raised at this year’s Feed the Bear 40th Anniversary Event.  And with some coordination magic, they are offering Free Summer Farmer’s Markets (produce only drops) at the senior center and Willow Lane elementary school. More ways this group of staff, volunteers and committed community are showing up for their neighbors. Man I love White Bear Lake!

Let’s keep the good vibes going at the Community Roots Garden Party this Saturday!

There are so many other communities in need of Food Shelf love, let’s spread the word and start digging in together!

Michelle