Increasing Reach and Fresh Food Options
Revisiting a FFEN Grantee Story from 2017
The Chisholm Food Shelf in Chisholm, MN, food shelf is a great example of how, after a one year engagement with FFEN, the shelf and the community are stronger and better served. Prior, Chisholm had no commercial refrigeration, and so could not leverage their ability to do a weekly rescue fresh food distribution from Walmart in Iron Mountain. FFEN started the ball rolling with a gift of cold storage (via a grant) and then partnered with The Chisholm Food Shelf to submit a grant to Open Your Heart to supply the remaining cold storage requirements; they were awarded the grant.
FFEN then worked with The Chisholm Food Shelf Board and staff to construct a strategic plan, to include outreach to several underserved adjacent communities. FFEN built a budget and collaborated with the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency to write and submit a grant to Hunger Solutions for a mobile food shelf unit. Chisholm was granted $65,000 to buy a truck, increase the Walmart donated food rescue, and begin mobile outreach in nearby areas. Successes like these always occur in collaboration with community organizations, the affiliated food banks, and other resources.
