Volunteers are the key at the food shelf
MARK MITTEN
Correspondent
Three days a week, the Annandale Food Shelf
opens its doors so families in need can have access
to a wide variety of boxed, canned, frozen, and fresh
foods. They even have pet food. The food shelf is a
nonprofi t organization that relies on donations and
volunteer help to achieve its mission. Board President
Ed Skomoroh, who has been on the board for 16
years, said it is a success, mainly because of all the
people who help out behind the scenes.
There are about 60 people who volunteer their
time. Some work at the reception desk, registering
new clients and passing out “pick lists,” so people can
choose what kinds of food they want. Other volunteers
work in the warehouse area as food sorters, stockers,
and order pickers. Others help unload trucks.
There is a weekly delivery from Second Harvest
Heartland, a food bank based in Minneapolis-St.
Paul. Food donations are also collected locally from
Walmart, Super Target, and Marketplace Foods.
Volunteers also assist with monthly food deliveries
to more than 40 senior shut-ins, who are not physically
able to pick up groceries in person.
After retiring, Shirley Mares began volunteering at
the Annandale Food Shelf with her husband, Michael
Earley. In addition to helping with general warehouse
procedures, and senior grocery deliveries, Mares
spotted an opportunity to use her professional skills
in a special way.
“I found out they needed help with their software.
Since I was a database administrator and had done a
lot of development . . . they told me what they needed,
and I designed it,” Mares said.
The database she created makes it easier for the
One Day Tours
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Longtime Annandale Food Shelf Board President, Ed Skomoroh, explained that every $10 cash donation given to
the food shelf will be used to purchase $60 worth of food. He added that approximately 60 volunteers help operate
the food shelf throughout the week.
PHOTO BY MARK MITTEN
food shelf to report statistics to the state and federal
government. Every item that arrives at the receiving
room is documented.
“We weigh it and report it, so we know how much
we got from each store,” Mares said. “We record what
kind of food it is, whether it was produce, bread, or
dairy.”
These statistics are recorded
in the database she designed.
Nita and Tom Cherry
have been volunteers at the
Annandale Food Shelf since
2020 Tours
In Full Swing
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2011. They moved to Annandale in 1997 from
Longmont, CO, where they had been very active
in other nonprofi t programs. But it was having a
daughter with a disability that truly gave them a heart
for people who are in need.
“I was on the board of directors for an organization
that did legislative advocacy for people with mental
and developmental disabilities,” Nita said.
“She testifi ed at the legislature,” Tom added.
The Cherrys have both worked with people with
Senior
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