Merry Christmas to All!
Dear friends and neighbors,
Have you ever found yourself in a time of unusual need? I certainly have. I think back to the spring of 1997, when Ros and I evacuated because of the flood. We left for the Cass Lake area, thinking it would be a short, three-day trip. Our two sons were just one and three years old.
Then reality hit: the flood was worse than expected, stretching our “quick getaway” to a full 21 days. Our optometry practice was under five feet of water, and like most people in our region, the lower level of our home was filled with floodwater. Our ability to return and provide for our family was uncertain—or so it seemed.
We received a voucher from a helping agency to buy diapers and other necessities. The kind family who owned the Marclay Point Campground offered us a place to stay free of charge. My family was safe, dry, and, most importantly, we were loved.
When we returned, FEMA, through the kindness of the American taxpayers, provided funding to replace our furnace and electrical panel. We returned home to begin the long process of rebuilding. For weeks, as we worked on our homes, we ate from Red Cross and Salvation Army trucks that came through our neighborhoods.
There was an ophthalmologist in Wisconsin, Lee Hofer, MD, who started the Red River Valley Eyecare Relief Fund. With his help, lots of local volunteers, and an SBA loan, we rebuilt our clinic and have continued on since. It’s hard to say because he is a cheesehead (Packers fan), but Dr. Hofer has remained a close and dear friend to this day.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Have you ever found yourself with a little extra to spare? Remembering how good it felt to receive help, what do you do with that abundance?
This past Wednesday, I visited the North Country Food Bank and every food shelf I could reach in our area. What I saw was a tremendous amount of love and kindness in action. Here’s what I experienced:
North Country Food Bank — East Grand Forks, MN
 Susie Novak-Boelter and her staff are amazing. When I was there, I heard the voices of dozens of kids from a local school cheerfully filling boxes of food for distribution. Joy and kindness were everywhere. The operation is incredibly efficient—every dollar they receive in donations provides four to five meals for hungry people.
North Country and other food banks act like wholesale suppliers to food shelves throughout the region. They share extra perishable food with other food banks to make sure nothing goes to waste. Food shelves confirmed that their monthly delivery from North Country is vital to their operations.
East Grand Forks Food Shelf
 On this visit, Director Dan Uhlenkamp, along with a dozen or so volunteers, filled Christmas food boxes and served food to local families. Many volunteers are there every week, all year long. It’s hard to imagine the good they’ve done since opening in 1998, but to those on the receiving end, the impact is crystal clear.
Fertile-Beltrami Area Food Shelf — Fertile, MN
 Pam Reese and her team of volunteers serve the Fertile-Beltrami area well. The shelves were neatly stocked and ready for hungry families heading into the holidays. They had food arranged in two locations in the building, anticipating a move to a new, more spacious location. Supplies ran a bit low a month or two ago but have been replenished in recent weeks.
Grace Community Food Shelf — Erskine, MN
 Located behind Grace Lutheran Church, Grace Community Food Shelf has a beautiful space filled with fresh and packaged food. Several years ago, they were able to secure this space, leaving a cramped one that made storage and distribution difficult. Thanks to Mavis Haugom and everyone who makes Grace Community Food Shelf so effective!
Inter-County Community Council Food Shelf — Oklee, MN
 Catherine Johnson and her team are an excellent resource to our region. They are a community action agency that provides the food shelf, along with other services, including heating assistance and home weatherization assistance for qualifying residents. They partner with their sister organization, Tri-Valley Opportunity Council in Crookston, to provide seamless care for our entire region. During my visit, they were busy unboxing and placing hundreds of pounds of food that had been donated during a local food drive.
New Hope Food Shelf — Crookston, MN
 Keith DeRemer and the staff of New Hope run an excellent program. Connected to Care and Share in Crookston, they provide emergency shelter for people and daily meals for hungry folks in the community, along with the food shelf. You can see that last year alone, they provided meals for over six thousand people, totaling more than 100,000 pounds of food. Keith let me know that he personally lifted those pounds himself! I could see that he had a lot of help in the effort.
Hometown Hope Food Shelf — Hendrum, MN
Local director Kristi Beyl walked me through Hometown Hope and explained that the food shelf was at risk of closing when its supporting agency shut down. To keep it going, she started a new nonprofit, which will briefly close for the transition but will soon resume full operations. She showed me a room filled with warm blankets ready to be distributed to local families. Kristi splits her time between the food shelf and a nearby thrift store—the whole scene felt like something straight out of a Hallmark movie. Keep up the great work, Kristi and crew!
Other food shelves I wasn’t able to visit but would like to recognize include:
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Climax Parish Food Shelf, Climax, MN
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Valley Food Shelf, Ada, MN
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Bread of Life, Felton, MN
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Loaves and Fishes, Fosston, MN
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Red Lake Falls Community Food Shelf, Red Lake Falls, MN
So, there you have it. I saw firsthand the kindness and generosity that are alive and well in our region. I was reminded of how good it feels to receive help when you need it—and how important it is to share when you have a little extra.
Merry Christmas to one and all!
Warmly,
Representative Steve Gander
Minnesota House of Representatives, District 1B
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