Almost 2500 items received through the 52-Week Food Shelf Challenge so far this year
Jul 08, 2024 08:00AM ● By Content Editor
Photo: Maria Lin Kim via Unsplash.com
By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - July 4, 2024
The 52-week food shelf challenge was started by Donna and Orvis Lunke earlier this year. Inspired by Donna's friend Jody Hepola, who started a similar activity for the Two Harbors Food Shelf, the challenge encourages residents to donate a specific food item each week to local food shelves. All three Grand Marais grocery stores (Gene's Foods, Cook County Co-op, and Johnson's Foods) participate as collection sites, making donating simple. Weekly, the Lunkes travel to each store to pick up the food and drop it off at the Grand Marais Food Shelf. From there, the items get distributed at the Grand Marais Food Shelf, or delivered to the Grand Portage Food Shelf for distribution.
To guarantee donations align with actual needs, the Lunkes collaborate closely with Gwen Lenz at the Grand Marais Food Shelf. "Jody shared her lists and ideas with us, and I ran it by Gwen for her input on what they might need, and what they don't," Donna told Boreal Community Media.
Hence, the 52-week challenge. Each week, a new item is selected, along with a monthly "extra", which in the past has included paper products, a preschool-aged children's book, or for July, pet food.
As we head towards the second half of the year, Donna has provided an update on how many items have been collected so far. "With your help, we have received 1896 weekly items + 596 on our monthly extra, totaling 2492 items that our food shelf in Grand Marais and Grand Portage has received. What an impact on food insecurity in Cook County! Thanks a million for making our food shelf project such a success!"
If you'd like to participate, you can find the 'item of the week' posted in the Cook County Community Conversation Facebook Group, the Grand Marais MN Community Page, The Laundromat Bulletin Board - Grand Marais Facebook Group, on the Boreal Community Media Facebook Page, or in the Boreal Classifieds.
Once you've purchased an item, look for the Food Shelf baskets in the entryway of Gene's Foods (431 E Highway 61, Grand Marais, MN 55604), the Cook County Co-op (20 East First Street, Grand Marais, MN 55604), or Johnson's Foods (5 MN-61, Grand Marais, MN 55604).
The item for the week of June 30, 2024, is cream soup (especially cream of mushroom).
By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - July 4, 2024
The 52-week food shelf challenge was started by Donna and Orvis Lunke earlier this year. Inspired by Donna's friend Jody Hepola, who started a similar activity for the Two Harbors Food Shelf, the challenge encourages residents to donate a specific food item each week to local food shelves. All three Grand Marais grocery stores (Gene's Foods, Cook County Co-op, and Johnson's Foods) participate as collection sites, making donating simple. Weekly, the Lunkes travel to each store to pick up the food and drop it off at the Grand Marais Food Shelf. From there, the items get distributed at the Grand Marais Food Shelf, or delivered to the Grand Portage Food Shelf for distribution.
To guarantee donations align with actual needs, the Lunkes collaborate closely with Gwen Lenz at the Grand Marais Food Shelf. "Jody shared her lists and ideas with us, and I ran it by Gwen for her input on what they might need, and what they don't," Donna told Boreal Community Media.
Hence, the 52-week challenge. Each week, a new item is selected, along with a monthly "extra", which in the past has included paper products, a preschool-aged children's book, or for July, pet food.
As we head towards the second half of the year, Donna has provided an update on how many items have been collected so far. "With your help, we have received 1896 weekly items + 596 on our monthly extra, totaling 2492 items that our food shelf in Grand Marais and Grand Portage has received. What an impact on food insecurity in Cook County! Thanks a million for making our food shelf project such a success!"
If you'd like to participate, you can find the 'item of the week' posted in the Cook County Community Conversation Facebook Group, the Grand Marais MN Community Page, The Laundromat Bulletin Board - Grand Marais Facebook Group, on the Boreal Community Media Facebook Page, or in the Boreal Classifieds.
Once you've purchased an item, look for the Food Shelf baskets in the entryway of Gene's Foods (431 E Highway 61, Grand Marais, MN 55604), the Cook County Co-op (20 East First Street, Grand Marais, MN 55604), or Johnson's Foods (5 MN-61, Grand Marais, MN 55604).
The item for the week of June 30, 2024, is cream soup (especially cream of mushroom).
