The Crookston Lions Club presented a check for $34,248 to Care and Share and New Hope Food Shelf in Crookston on Monday morning to help cover the cost of a new cooler/freezer for the food shelf.
GRANT APPLICATION AND PROJECT FUNDING-
The Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF) offers a Hunger Pilot grant, and last spring, the Crookston Lions Club met to discuss whether they could secure a grant. Crookston applied for the grant and received the full amount of $34,248, which will be used towards a new cooler/freezer at the New Hope Food Shelf. “We just got it going and filling out the grant application, and getting approval does take a while,” said Crookston Lion and Crookston High School Leo Club Advisor Linda Morgan. “But as soon as they met, they decided to give it to us right away. But the process continues. We’re just so happy that we can give this and to be part of this community for the Lions. Just a great thing that we can do to help the Care and Share here in town.”
The new cooler/freezer is essential for storing important food items for distribution at the New Hope Food Shelf. “The cost right now would have been incredible for the organization to take on without the help of the Lions Club and also the fundraiser that we had specifically to replace the freezer,” said Carolina Diaz, Care and Share Director. “Right now, it is a crucial point due to the government shutdown and the lack of SNAP, and how we are trying to build the gap between food inequality. And we’re seeing more and more people coming in who have two working people in the home, yet still can’t find the resources they need. And we are grateful to the community and the Lions for allowing us to continue our work, which helps provide food to those in need. And anyone is welcome here. And we want people to take advantage of what a great opportunity this will be for longevity and sustainability.”
Diaz said the cooler/freezer was on its last leg. “Without the upgrade, without the help of the community, we would not be able to have a freezer any longer. We’re barely keeping it right now. Without that ability, we would only be able to give canned goods, no meat, no dairy, and no other items like that. This will have a huge impact that will be sustainable for years to come,” said Diaz. “So thanks to Proulx Refrigeration, they are coming in tomorrow (Tuesday) and they said they should be done by Friday because they also know the food shelf is so impactful. We have to close it down at this point. And they said it would take three days, and they’ll be in and out, and it’s ready to go. So we’re very grateful for that as well.” The food shelf will be closed Tuesday, November 11, through Friday, November 14.
TURKEY AND HAM DRIVE
The Care and Share/New Hope Food Shelf is currently holding a Turkey and Ham drive to collect 140 donations for the food shelf. Unfortunately, due to the current costs, we are unable to purchase the turkeys and hams as we have in past years. So we are asking the community to come together to get turkeys and hams so that we can provide holiday dinners for people who are unable to get those things and to have some normalcy right now,” said Diaz. “It could be monetary funds specifically stating to buy turkey and hams, or they can drop them off here, and we can store them so that we can start passing them out for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
GIVE TO THE MAX FUNDRAISER
The Care and Share/New Hope Food Shelf is also participating in the Give to Max fundraiser. “Give to the Max is where you pick your charity of choice, the one that specifically aligns with your heartstrings,” said Diaz. “We simply ask that you continue to consider those who are unhoused, those in our community who need a food bridge, and that you choose an organization that will help in all these areas. And early giving started on November 1st, and the last day is November 20th.” The donation information for Give to the Max is at the bottom of this page, or click on the following link – www.givemn.org/donate/care-and-share.
EVERY DAY HOME PRODUCT DONATIONS ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED
Diaz said food items aren’t the only donations that are important for the food shelf. “We just have a lot of need for donations, food drives,” said Diaz. “We take advantage of a lot of products that we use at home, but garbage bags, things like that, just necessities that you would use at home. Those are significant expense items for us that, if donated, would be a tremendous help to our organization.“
LIONS CLUB GIVES BACK TO THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE-
The Lions Club is a worldwide organization with global causes that include childhood cancer, diabetes, disaster relief, environmental conservation, humanitarian aid, hunger relief, vision care, and youth development. John Vik of the Crookston Lions said the Lions Club started hunger grant applications a few years ago, and this is perfect for the New Hope Food Shelf. “It was excellent because the hunger applications were just approved a few years ago. When it started as a 50% grant, the project had to be outlined and designed, but the project could not be started until the application had been approved,” said Vik. “We applied for a $20,000 grant, and they came back later and said we’ve changed the format and we now give 75% of the project. So all of a sudden we got an extra $14,000, which they can use with other projects and, of course, to pay for what they were doing here, too. So it worked out as a real plus for this operation to give them what they needed. For the Lions Club, it’s just great to do things to build your community.“
