Food shelf sees increased usage as food insecurity rises

“That kid sitting next to you in class might be hungry, and you don’t even know it.”

Cindy Kolander, executive director of the Waseca Area Neighborhood Service Center  and the Waseca Area Food Shelf, is grateful to the 4-H leader who made this statement during one of her many presentations given regularly around the county.

“Hunger and food insecurity are constant,” observes Kolander. “And they’re on the increase.”

During the month of October, the Waseca food shelf served 551 households and gave away 19,000 pounds of food. In the same span of time last year, 201 households sought assistance and 11,000 pounds of food were distributed.

The fastest growing group of food shelf visitors, Kolander says, consists of seniors age 60 and older. She cites being on a “fixed income” across a time of high inflation as a significant driver of the increase.

“I wish people understood,” she said, “we’re not income based.

“If you’re in need, we’re here.”

She goes on to note no questions are asked regarding income; in fact, the only information requested is individuals’ names, addresses, phone numbers, and the size of their household, since household size determines the amount of food individuals are eligible to take. 

She also notes some people are hesitant to visit the food shelf because “they’ve always been independent, and it’s not in their nature to seek help.”

Kolander says she understands people have that perspective, but hopes it does not keep them from coming. “One disastrous event can create a downward spiral,” she says, mentioning car trouble, unexpected medical costs, and family emergencies.

She remembers a time when she worked at an area pharmacy as a technician. “People would find out the cost of their new medication and comment they would have to put their cart full of groceries back on the shelves.”

With that in mind, she suggests a few visits to the food shelf might stop the spiral and let people get back on their feet. In fact, she says, she’s heard from many people who say that’s been the case for them.

Policies at the Waseca area food shelf are that households may “shop” once a week, selecting from the canned goods, frozen meats and foods, miscellaneous products and even produce which happen to be available at the time. “Checkout” consists of weighing the selected products before bagging them and taking them home.

The food shelf is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and again from 1 to 4 p.m. The closure over the noon hour is so that shelves can be restocked. Because of limited space, patrons are encouraged to make appointments in advance. The phone number is 507-833-4119, Ext. 302. The food shelf is located next to the Waseca Area Neighborhood Service Center at the intersection of First Street and Second Avenue Northwest.

The food shelf works with numerous regional providers including “Channel One,” and others which provide bulk deliveries of food at prices much lower than those paid by typical consumers. Local retail businesses also donate significant amounts of food.

Area individuals, churches and service organizations provide various types of support, often in the form of food drives or fundraisers, but also volunteer hours. Kolander describes occasional phone calls from the Southern Research and Outreach Center located at the western edge of Waseca. The organization regularly plants vegetables including green beans, sweet corn, beets, carrots, cabbage, and more for the sake of its research, and has frequently offered that the food shelf could have all the produce it could harvest.

Those phone calls, and others like them, are “A very welcome surprise,” says Kolander, since fresh foods are such an important part of a healthy diet. She expresses deep gratitude to the volunteers from various agencies who help out at moments like those and, of course, the organizations and groups which contribute in so many different ways.