OLIVIA — The walls of Olivia's Corn Monument proudly chronicle Renville County's achievements as one of the state's leading corn producers.
Renville County Food Shelf volunteers have reason to point to another unique feature of their county: It ranks among the top in terms of community support for the food shelf and its mission.
Community support played a big role in helping the nonprofit win a $220,000 state grant from the Minnesota Department of Health earlier this year, said Jeff Filipek, of the Renville County State Health Improvement Partnership and a food shelf board member, who said he and Stephanie Ryan, Renville County's communications and grants coordinator, wrote the grant application.
They highlighted the food shelf's sustainability, made possible by strong community support, the growing demand for assistance, and its excellent track record of financial stewardship. Importantly, they also noted that the food shelf had recently been recognized as a “Super Shelf.”
As a supermarket, the Food Shelf employs procedures to guide patrons in making the most nutritious food choices and also provides a dignified environment: Food Shelf patrons choose from the foods available, just as they would when shopping in a store, with fresh produce and unprocessed foods being served first.
Karen Davis and Carol Baumgartner, from left, sort food to restock shelves and coolers as they help with a food shipment at the Renville County Food Shelf on June 3, 2024, in Olivia.
Tom Cherveny/West Central Tribune
The grant came at just the right time, according to Olivia's Gordy Brehm, who called it a “godsend.”
Brehm, who sits on the food shelf's building committee, said the sudden death of Steve Dirks on June 10, 2023, at age 71, left the food shelf in a difficult situation.
Dirks came to the Food Shelf's rescue when their building burned down in 2012. He offered them a former department store building in the heart of the business district at very affordable rent. Following his death, the building was put up for sale.
The grant made it possible to purchase the building, which was built in 1910, and invest in needed renovations. This spring, a new roof was installed and the electrical system was upgraded, with more renovations planned for the future, including new flooring.
The grant money will be used solely for the building and its needs. The Food Shelf continues to rely entirely on donations from the public for all of its needs, according to Food Shelf Manager Rebecca Herod and board members Brehm, Filipek, Ardis Wertish, Mary Schrofer and Karen Selvas.
As a super shelf, the Renville County Food Shelf first and foremost helps those it serves make fresh, nutritious food choices. On June 3, 2024, fresh produce will be displayed at the front of the food shelf.
Tom Cherveny/West Central Tribune
They noted that although it's called the Renville County Food Shelf because it provides food to the entire county, it doesn't receive any county funding or support. The facility was founded in 1983 by a group of citizens who saw a need, according to Food Shelf Board Chair Ardis Wertish.
Renville County covers a large area, with a population of 14,723 people spread across rural areas and small towns, and the Food Shelf operates a mobile unit to deliver food to many residents.
Filipek said there are large areas considered “food deserts” because some residents have to travel long distances to get to grocery stores and transportation options are limited for those who don't own or can't drive.
The food shelf has seen a steady increase in need. Historically, it has provided food to about 220 households, or an estimated 660 people, each month. Since the summer began, that number has jumped to nearly 250 households. Food shelf managers say they distribute between 16,000 and 17,000 pounds of food each month.
The food shelf's beneficiaries range from young children to seniors. The county does not have a senior food program. Board members said they worried some seniors who need help might be too proud to ask for it. At one point, they asked drug stores to include food shelf flyers with prescriptions seniors received as part of their outreach efforts.
Regardless of age, food shelf clients have one thing in common: limited funds. Volunteers explain that it's not uncommon for people to turn to the food shelf for help getting through a difficult month because of car repairs or medical bills.
According to information from the food shelf's grant application, 26.7 percent of households in the county earn less than $35,000 a year. Renville County's food insecurity rate is 6.7 percent, roughly the same as the statewide rate of 6.8 percent, according to Feeding America, a nonprofit food bank network.
Board members said the help that makes the food shelf possible comes from all over the county. Each month, Herod, the food shelf manager, coordinates the efforts of about 70 volunteers who do everything from delivering food from Second Harvest Heartland to staffing the food shelf.
A $220,000 grant helped the Renville County Food Shelf purchase and renovate the Olivia Building downtown, where it has been based for operations since relocating from its original location in September 2012 after a fire.
Tom Cherveny/West Central Tribune
Churches across the county provide financial support, and Herod said 30 different groups volunteer and donate money each year.
Many employers in the county are giving employees time off work to volunteer at the shelves, volunteers said. One 4-H club is making sure to fill birthday bags with donated cake mixes and treats for shelf members whose birthdays are coming up. Some farmers are even dropping off grain at the elevator to donate to the shelves.
Brehm said the grant application made it clear the food shelf was in a position to serve the county, thanks to all the help. All they needed was a place to be, and the grant made that possible. There are 430 food shelves in the state, and 115 of them applied for the grant. The total amount applied for was $51 million, of which $7 million was awarded, Brehm said.
The Renville County Food Shelf received a $220,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Health to purchase and renovate the downtown Olivia building it has rented since 2012. Jeff Filipek (back row, right) of the Renville County State Health Improvement Partnership and Stephanie Ryan (not pictured), public relations and grants coordinator for Renville County, drafted the grant application. Food Shelf board members Karen Servas (from left), Ardis Wertish, Gordy Brehm, Mary Schrofer and Food Shelf Manager Rebecca Herod are pictured with Filipek at the Food Shelf on June 3, 2024.
Tom Cherveny/West Central Tribune
