Community Corner

Food Shelf Use Experiences Prodigious Growth in 2011

The number of households who accessed the Eagan Resource Center in 2011 grew 79 percent over 2010.

February is typically the slowest month of the year for the food shelf. But this month, Eagan Resource Center Director Lisa Horn isn't expecting any slowdown.

That's because the number of users accessing the food shelf has grown explosively over the last two years, Horn said. In 2010, the food shelf handed out 384,085 pounds of food to 5,567 households at its two locations in Eagan and Lakeville. In 2011, the food shelf distributed a whopping 679,343 pounds of food to 9,944 households—and the growth doesn't show any signs of stopping.

The resource center, which became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2009, is still adjusting its services to the 79 percent jump in the number of households served.

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In November, the Eagan Resource Center decide to open the food shelf on Mondays to add hours for the holiday season. More than a month after the holidays ended, the food shelf is still holding business hours on Monday—simply to keep up with the need, Horn said. The organization has also converted several part-time employees into full-time workers to help accommodate the growing number of users.

The type of people accessing the food shelf are also changing, Horn said. More retirees and seniors are visiting the food shelf, Horn said, as are the number of unemployed professionals.

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"It is not uncommon for us to see families who had six-figure incomes coming in to use the food shelf," said Horn. Many families who have recently fallen victim to the economy, Horn added, have a hard time finding helpful resources because of their unfamiliarity with the systems in place.

The Eagan Resource Center isn't the only area food shelf to be inundated with new users.

Neighbors, Inc., which operates a food shelf in South Saint Paul, saw a 20 percent increase in food shelf visitors in the first five months of the year, and a 40 percent increase in users from June to December last year, according to Program Manager Joan Rhodes.

"I know we’re seeing a lot of new families, people who lost their jobs or had their unemployment [benefits] run out," said Rhodes. "We had one extreme case where a family had a $500,000 home, and both [adults] lost high-paying jobs and lost their house."

The organization has also seen more recently-graduated college students, she added. The number of families who participated in Neighbors' holiday program—a gift-giving initiative for low-income families—jumped from 860 families in 2010 to 980 in 2011, Rhodes said.

Fortunately for both Neighbors and the Eagan Resource Center, food donations have gone up to accommodate the increased need. Both groups have also established partnerships with Target and Cub Foods to bring in more fresh produce, meat and dairy donations.

"You just hope the community stays supportive and continues to donate," Rhodes said.


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