The county board of commissioners has pledged $50,000 to assist in the renovation of the North Country Food Bank facility in Crookston. Additional space is needed, an example being installation of larger cooler and freezing units.
Financial assistance is also coming from other counties in northwest Minnesota.
From 70 percent to 90 percent of all food distributed to people in need through Otter Tail County and neighboring county food shelves comes from the North Country Food Bank.
"We also need more warehousing space to maximize storage capacity," said Food Bank Executive Director Susie Novak who addressed the Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners Tuesday morning, March 26.
The United Way in Otter Tail County and in other nearby counties also provides funding that allows North Country Food Bank to distribute food to those in need in area counties.
ADVERTISEMENT
"With the help of county commissioners, taxpayers in Otter Tail County, United Way assistance and support of others we're able to make sure that nobody in our area communities has to worry about where their next meal will come from," Novak said.
Mary Phillipe, executive director of the United Way for Otter Tail and Wadena counties, told county commissioners that North Country Food Bank is needed more than ever.
"We now have the BackPack program that provides a weekend worth of healthy and well-balanced meals to kids in small bags," she said.
The bags are given to teachers each Thursday to be discreetly placed into the student's backpack on Friday.
The North Country business model is simple.
"We use surplus food products from the food industry to feed hungry people," Novak said. "Our regional impact is profound, serving 21 counties, including Otter Tail County, here in northwest Minnesota."
North Country is especially proud that it acquires and distributes fresh produce and agricultural surplus products. The food bank establishes distribution methods to reach the most rural and underserved counties.
North Country Food Bank in Crookston has a board of directors. For more information contact them through www.northcountryfoodbank.org
