Volunteers at a Free Produce Market .
Donation of wonderful tomatoes from Tamarack Nature Center .
According to Perry Petersen , who has served as Executive Director of the White Bear Area Food Shelf for the past four years , the result was a drastic reduction in funding for individual families for groceries and for food . This has led to a dramatic increase in the need for services from his organization .
“ We ’ ve seen a 29 percent increase in the number of people being served by the Food Shelf since the beginning of late spring 2023 ,” he said . “ We ’ re serving more people now than we did during the pandemic .”
In late 2023 , more than 150 people a day were coming to the food shelf . The dramatic increase in need has led to some big changes for 2024 , including the opening of a second site in the early part of the year that will double the Food Shelf ’ s capacity to serve the community .
The new Community Market is located at 2446 County Road F East , White Bear Lake , MN 55110 , not far from the City ’ s Early Childhood and Senior Centers .
“ It ’ s a small Community Market with sliding glass doors when you walk in . It has a small , neighborhood market kind of feel with different sections . There is a produce section , a deli section , a bakery section , and a dry-goods section in which people can shop in person again ,” said Petersen , who added that the Community Market won ’ t just be a place to shop .
There will be office space for other nonprofits in the building . Rental assistance will be offered by the Saint Andrews Community Resource Center . Ramsey County will also be offering WIC program services . WIC is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women , Infants & Children that provides nutrition education and counseling , nutritious foods and referrals to health and other social services .
In addition , the White Bear Area School District will do some outreach work from the location for its Early Childhood , Senior and Adult Learning programs .
“ The market is going to be a resource for us to connect people who are already known to have food insecurity with additional resources in the same place they get their food ,” said Petersen , who added that another benefit of the space is access to plenty of parking .
The gap in the economic impact between the haves and have nots is very evident by some of the statistics that we have been encountering .
- Perry Petersen , Executive Director ,
White Bear Area Food Shelf
“ We will be going from 13 spots at our headquarters to 46 parking spots in front at the new location , almost quadrupling our parking .”
The White Bar Area Food Shelf receives a small amount of public funding , and is mostly funded through donations . More information about the organization can be found online at Whitebearfoodshelf . org
2023 Statistics 134,692 individuals served . 43,705 visits
Special Needs
1 ) Monetary donations . For every $ 1 donated , the White Bear Area Food Shelf can buy $ 6 worth of food . Donations can be made online here : Whitebearfoodshelf . giv . sh / 86ec
2 ) Food donations . Most wanted list can be found at Whitebearfoodshelf . org / food-donations
3 ) Volunteers . More information can be found here : Whitebearfoodshelf . org / volunteer
White Bear Area Food Shelf 1884 Whitaker Street White Bear Lake , MN 55110 Phone : 651-407-5310 Email : info @ whitebearfoodshelf . org
Curbside Pick-Up Food Shelf Hours Monday & Tuesday , 4 p . m . – 7 p . m . Wednesday , Thursday & Friday , 11 a . m . – 2 p . m . Thursday , Free Farmer ’ s Markets – various times and locations Saturday & Sunday , Closed
Outdoor Donation Hours Monday & Tuesday , 9 a . m . – 6 p . m . Wednesday , Thursday & Friday , 9 a . m . – 2 p . m . Saturday & Sunday , Closed
Second location
Community Market 2446 County Road F East White Bear Lake , MN 55110
Solid Ground
Another nonprofit doing good work in the community is Solid Ground , which has been serving the community since 1987 . Solid Ground ’ s mission is to prevent and end homelessness for families with children in the communities it serves . It was founded by a group of residents in suburban Ramsey and Washington Counties who recognized the need to support families with housing and certain services .
The organization , which has its headquarters in White Bear Lake , runs eight programs in suburban Ramsey and Washington Counties for struggling families . East Metro Place is
32 Northeast Metro Business