Area food shelf still needs $4,000 to meet 2007 goal

WILLMAR -- The Willmar Area Food Shelf has two weeks to raise $4,000 to meet expenses for the 2007 operating budget.

Christie Kurth, director of the food shelf, said she hopes holiday contributions that have been arriving recently keep on coming.

"We have been seeing a consistent number of donations coming in through the mail," Kurth said. People are sending holiday donations in memory of loved ones, she said.

But as of Friday, the food shelf was "still about $4,000 shy of our annual budget."

Kurth said she hopes that by the end of the month, the food shelf can meet the 2007 budget of $133,300 without dipping into its small pocket of reserves.

The food shelf is on pace to serve 440 families in December.

It's "very stressful to not have the means to provide meals on a daily basis," Kurth said. Another layer of stress is added when families can't afford to provide the "special meals" of the holidays.

Since June there has been a 20 percent increase in the number of families that are using the food shelf and a 22 percent increase in the number of individuals. Kurth expects those increases to continue into 2008, but said the 2008 proposed budget will increase just 4 percent.

By the end of November, 4,209 families had received supplies from the food shelf. Those families included 198 seniors aged 65 or over; 7,320 adults between the age of 18-64; and 5,999 children.

To date, 390,903 pounds of food has been distributed in 2007.

Cash donations are used primarily to purchase food from the Second Harvest Heartland Food Bank for 4 to 16 cents a pound.

Those low prices, which is one reason the 2008 budget increase will be minimal, has let the food shelf to capture some good deals throughout the year, such as hamburger for 4 cents a pound, a case of chicken noodle soup for $3.04 and a case of macaroni and cheese for $2.24.

But those supplies are not offered on a regular basis and it can be several months before a certain product -- like macaroni and cheese -- is available again, which can leave huge gaps in the inventory of local food shelves.

That's when food collected at local drives by school children, Scouts, 4-H clubs, churches or other organizations plays an especially crucial role in feeding the community, Kurth said.

"Without their donations we wouldn't be here," she said.

Witnessing the transactions that happen when people give and receive food is one of the rewarding parts of Kurth's job.

"I am so blessed because I get to meet with groups throughout the year, especially children, and see their faces when they've met their goal of raising a certain amount of food," said Kurth. "I get to see their delight in learning to give to others."

On the other side, Kurth said she sees the relief on the faces of people who leave the food shelf with a supply of groceries.

"I'm the one that hears 'thank you' and 'God bless you,'" which are the messages that Kurth said belong to the community.