History of the La Crescent Food Shelf

Our first food shelf was started by a La Crescent couple in the early 1970s as an effort to meet the needs of people that had limited ability to provide for their daily nutritional needs.  The couple worked from their home distributing food to people that would stop by. Finally, it became too much for the couple to handle so the local clergy decided to move the shelf to the local City Water Works where there was a storage shed.  This arrangement lasted for only a brief period of time due to the difficulty of managing distribution from that location. The food shelf was then moved to Prince of Peace Church in the 1980s.

With a few food drives and the support of businesses, the La Crescent Food Shelf was able to meet the basic needs of those that used it.  People were able to use our shelf once a month and receive nutritionally balanced bags of food and at times some extras such as fresh produce from our community garden, farmers market and neighbors.

Volunteers began to label shelves and read codes to determine the age of the cans before the food was distributed. The volunteers packed the number of bags according to the size of the family being served and an effort was made to meet nutritional guidelines.  Accessories such as soaps, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes, Kleenex and toilet paper were also made available.

Our shelf serves all Houston county residents, though the majority of our clients live in La Crescent proper. In 1998 we served 300 people for the year; in 2012 we served 3000 people.  In past years, 65 volunteers alternated over a 12 week period and packed food for the people in need. Many of these same people as well as other volunteers came in to help sort, check dates and stack the shelves during the various food drives held in the community during the course of the year.  Prince of Peace Lutheran Church staff members also helped during the course of the week by distributing food from the church office.

Today at the La Crescent Food Shelf

Our community continues to support our food shelf over the years as the needs in our community increase. Private donations, and donations made at area churches help support us.  Local organizations such as Boy and Girl Scout groups, the American Legion, La Crescent Rotary, Lions Club, area churches, the Letter Carriers Drive, Halloween Trick or Treat for Food, the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train and the Rotary Lights are also significant contributors to keeping the shelf full. This is truly a community food shelf!

Location:
436 South 6th St. La Crscent, MN

Hours:
Wednesdays 1 - 5 PM
Thursdays 2 - 6 PM
2nd Saturday of the month
9 AM - Noon

Call us:
(507) 895-1115

We are so thankful for the support of Our Partners:

We are thankful to have support from both of these great organizations, as we are a town on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. mail:
   U.S. Department of Agriculture
   Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
   1400 Independence Avenue, SW
   Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

2. fax:
   (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

3. email:
   program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

05/05/2022