Midweek Motivator: Little Emily is making a big impact for neighbors in need

About 40 minutes northeast of Brainerd there is a small city called Emily, with a population of around 800. Most of you are probably familiar with this cute little town that still doesn’t even have a stoplight. What some of you may not be aware of is that one block off of State Highway 6 going west on County Road 1 there is a local food shelf making a big impact in the lives of their neighbors.

Established in 1981, Emily Food Shelf has a long history of providing food access for their friends and neighbors in need. However, in the last year, with the rising cost of food, household items, and gas it seems like this need is greater than it has been in a long time. With Emily being in a rural location it is difficult for many to access the resources necessary to help fill the gaps so many families face today. Emily Food Shelf has decided to take on this challenge and fill as many gaps as possible for their friends and neighbors.

In 2022 Emily Food Shelf began to evaluate the needs of their community while consulting with organizations like Second Harvest North Central Food Bank, Crow Wing Energized, and the University of Minnesota Extension Office of Brainerd. Through this process they were able to set some big goals for the year. These included the following:

Through the partnership with the organizations mentioned above, along with a huge amount of community support, the Emily Food Shelf is making huge strides of improvement in these areas.

A little over a year ago Emily Food Shelf was open one Tuesday and one Wednesday in the same week each month. Now they are open noon-2 p.m. every Tuesday as well as from 4-6 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month.

ADVERTISEMENT

“When I first started here at (Emily Food Shelf) a little over a year ago this was one of the first challenges I received — to expand our hours,” said Andrea Gressman, Emily Food Shelf director. “I was told, ‘People are hungry more than once a month’ and that person was so very right. We have worked hard as an organization to provide weekly food access.”

As a result, their numbers have continued to grow and the feedback from the neighbors has been overwhelmingly positive. One neighbor said, “We are hanging on by a thread and the food shelf is what keeps us hanging on right now.”

The Emily Food Shelf is in the process of becoming a certified SuperShelf. It was through a partnership with Crow Wing Energized and the University of Minnesota Extension Office that made this possible. Through the different conversations they had together it became obvious that these organizations were united in the belief in providing the healthiest foods possible to the friends and neighbors who utilize the food shelf. They also acknowledged that simply providing calories isn’t enough and are committed to providing food items that are as nutritionally beneficial as possible.

The Emily Food Shelf has done this by allocating more of their food budget to fresh produce and by utilizing a portion of their community garden to grow produce specifically for the food shelf. The food shelf also presents the healthiest foods first, which is one of the aspects of being a SuperShelf and was achieved through the support of Crow Wing Energized and the University of Minnesota’s Extension Office.

There is a stigma that goes along with utilizing a food shelf. Many people actually feel shame for doing so. The Emily Food Shelf, along with so many of those who provide food access, work tirelessly to minimize this to the greatest extent possible. Those at Emily Food Shelf do their best to greet each neighbor who walks through the door with love and respect. They let them know they are happy to have them there and that they really do care about them.

Those who have been involved in this project for the past year know they are nowhere near where they want their end result to be but are thankful to have made the progress that they have so far in these areas. Emily Food Shelf will continue to bring in resources and fill the gaps as they can. It goes to show that even small organizations can make a big impact when you have the love and support of a community behind them.

ADVERTISEMENT