St. Joseph Community Food Shelf Purchases Building

(KNSI) — The St. Joseph Community Food Shelf has closed on purchasing the building where it is currently housed, marking the first time it will own the space it occupies.

Opening in 1987 at the St. Benedict Monastery’s artisan studio, it functioned as a service organization of the Church. From there, it moved to the old city hall building in 2000, and a year later, as demand continued to grow, it was decided that the Food Shelf should become a community food shelf, so a board of directors was established for the non-profit organization that still exists where it is today on Birch Street.

The food shelf saw between 55 and 60 individuals visit in 2015. At the end of 2022, they are now serving between 90 and 100 people per month, and they expect it to continue to increase as the cost of basic expenses increases.

“We are very excited to finally have a permanent home,” said Julie Gravgaard, Food Shelf co-coordinator. “After moving several times in the last few years, we are happy to have a stable location to serve those in need.”

“Now that we own our building, we can more productively manage our budget and allocate donated funds to the resources we provide our clients,” said Food Shelf co-coordinator Ann Scherer. “We are so grateful for all the community members who help us with monetary and food donations. As the cost of food continues to rise, we are seeing more families needing to take advantage of the Food Shelf. That’s why we do what we do – to serve those in need.”

Attorneys with Rinke-Noonan donated their services for the purchasing process of the building.

The St. Joseph Community Food Shelf is located at 18 Birch Street in St. Joseph. Hours are 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Donations can be dropped off or mailed to P.O. Box 121, St. Joseph, MN, 56374

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