Packaging all of this meals requires the assistance of volunteers, however on account of COVID-19, the meals bank mentioned they not solely want extra volunteers, but additionally, new volunteers.
“We have always relied on a great army of volunteers who are primarily 65 and up and with the CDC guidelines, we have had to limit our volunteers to healthy people under the age of 65,” Estee mentioned.
Luckily, Estee mentioned the Farmer’s to Households Program has helped fill a void amid a drop in donations.
“I think you can really see the need as people come to the distribution points of these Farmers and Families boxes. There are people coming who have never asked for help before,” Estee mentioned.
However, Estee mentioned getting the meals to the place it must go has been costly for the meals bank which serves the agricultural areas of Worldwide Falls, Cass Lake, Walker, Grand Rapids, Brainerd, Milaca and Mora Minnesota.
“Offering meals in rural areas has all the time been powerful as a result of persons are so unfold out and so remoted,” Estee mentioned.
Funding from the state has helped the meals bank thus far this summer time, however Estee mentioned the meals bank hopes extra funding will assist them into the autumn.
“We’re really going to see the need increase this fall and we need to be ready for that,” Estee mentioned.
As Second Harvest North Central Meals Bank continues to feed Minnesota’s rural communities, Estee mentioned they hope to see extra volunteers and donations.
“People tell us often that without the food, they would not be able to pay for their rent or their medicine,” Estee mentioned. “I think that people stay in their homes and they stay healthier because of the food that they’ve been able to get.”
These concerned about volunteering at Second Harvest North Central Meals Bank can discover extra details about that right here and people concerned about donating can discover extra details about that right here.
