Hunger in Dakota County focus of nonprofit event
Fighting hunger is year-long goal of nonprofit organizations
by Laura Adelmann
Thisweek Newspapers
Rising poverty rates, job loss and foreclosures have all been indicators of a struggling economy.
But now more Dakota County residents are finding themselves in desperation at Dakota County food shelves.
Between 2003 and 2008, the number of people using food shelves in the county jumped 132 percent, well above the 41 percent increase in people served at food shelves statewide, according to the county.
The troubling numbers have drawn the attention of the Nonprofit Network in Dakota County, a group of about 25 nonprofit leaders from different agencies who are hosting a May 12 event called “The Face of Hunger in Dakota County” to kick off a year-long focus on the issue.
The event will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Galaxie Library, Apple Valley, in room L139. Jane Vanderpoel, information analyst with Dakota County, will review county demographics and socioeconomic trends.
Then, nonprofit leaders will hold a panel discussion about how hunger affects the community and ways it can be addressed.
One of the organization’s nonprofit leaders is Karen Kitchel of Eagan, who runs Cheerful Givers, which donates birthday gift bags to parents unable to afford to buy their children a birthday present.
She also volunteers at the Eagan Food Shelf, where she met a father of two who looked uncomfortable being there, uncertain of what he should do or say.
At Kitchel’s prompting, he said he was a single dad of two kids, ages 6 and 8. He’d lost his longtime job, and the only food left in the house was two boxes of macaroni and cheese.
“He said he’d never been to a food shelf before; he never thought he’d have to. I told him I was glad he’d come in, because that was the purpose of the food shelf,” she said.
The growing need for food shelf donations and volunteers is a mission the nonprofits could all embrace, Kitchel said, adding that more events will likely follow the kickoff event. “There are increasing numbers of people in need, so we’re trying to reach out,” she said.
Laura Adelmann is at laura.adelmann@ecm-inc.com.
Recent Comments