CHUM Food Shelf Keeping Up with Demand, Winter Cold

DULUTH, Minn. – Wednesday saw CHUM’s location in downtown Duluth busy as they held their latest food shelf distribution.  Despite a persistent breeze, boxes filled with canned goods, pantry staples, meat, dairy, and other times were waiting for people who were seeking this help to take it and go on their way.

Even with temperatures at times dipping below zero this winter season, which would normally keep the organization from having its distribution, Director of Distribution Services Scott Van Daele says they broke them to ensure people were serviced.

“Duluth is funny,” says Van Daele.  “Coming from Colorado it was like nobody will ever come outside when it is 25-below zero.  And those are our busiest days.  Those are the days that when we give away food in 13 minutes.  You’re moving fast, but there’s also that demand that people are coming out that early and in that type of weather to come get food is crazy to me.  But, I mean, if you’re hungry you do what you got to do.”

Van Daele says demand for their food shelf has not seen a decline after it had it usual seasonal increase last summer, and they are grateful the community has stepped up to ensure that it is met.  “Donors around the Twin Ports have never taken their foot off the gas since COVID started, and we have not really seen that big of a gap in the type of foods that we need.  We’re just getting more and more food on a weekly basis.”

CHUM is also preparing for what is typically their busiest donation month come March, which is Minnesota Food Share Month.  “All the money that comes in and all the food that comes in is matched proportionally to what does come in, and it is our biggest fundraising month” says Van Daele.  Last year we raised 220-thosuand dollars and brought in over 60-thousand pounds of food.”

More information on what CHUM needs most now for its food shelf can be found here.