BEMIDJI -- Starting in May, ShelfSaver, a mobile food project of Women United, Bemidji Community Food Shelf and local organizations, will bring food to the outlying communities of Kelliher and Blackduck.
ShelfSaver will be in Kelliher at the North Beltrami Community Center from 1 to 3 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month starting May 11, and in Blackduck at the Evangelical Free Church from 9 to 11 a.m. the third Tuesday of the month starting May 18.
Women United, an organization under the umbrella of United Way of Bemidji Area, took up the organizing and planning for the ShelfSaver Project starting in early 2020, a release said.
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“The food shelf has known about the need in these communities for a while,” LaVon Dennistoun, chair of Women United, said in a release. “Food shelf records show that folks in Blackduck and Kelliher make more than 500 visits to the food shelf annually. When you factor in all the people who lack transportation to even get to the food shelf, this could be quite significant in terms of people still in need. At Women United we felt it critical that this project be considered to bring much-needed food to these underserved communities.”
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Anyone finding it hard to afford food and/or who has transportation issues is encouraged to come. No appointments are needed. Volunteers will take some basic household information to determine how much food the household should receive. Households will receive at least one pre-packed box of shelf-stable food. As the project gets established, organizers plan to add fresh produce and frozen meat, the release said.
For information or questions, call (218) 444-6580 .
