Barbara Carlson, left, and Tiffany Isaac-Ruiz, right, display some of the items people will find when they come to the Bricelyn Food Pantry, which has become a stable food resource for many needy families.

What started as a small idea to help people in the Bricelyn area have greater food security, has blossomed into so much more. And now the Bricelyn Food Pantry has quickly become a stable food resource for families of southern Minnesota and northern Iowa.

“The original idea was to have a food blessing box,” Tiffany Isaac-Ruiz says. “However, after talking with the Bricelyn City Council, they offered us office space from the Municipal Center to use as a community food pantry, free of charge.”

Isaac-Ruiz clarifies that Barbara Carlson, a former teacher at Blue Earth Area High School, was the real instigator for getting the project going.

“We are focused on building unity and partnerships within Faribault County that aim to strengthen our underserved rural towns,” Carlson comments. “We formed a non-profit group, Community Partners of Faribault County (CPFC), and operate the Bricelyn Food Pantry as the main program of the CPFC.”

Isaac-Ruiz moved to the area a little over a year ago and noticed people were in need.

“I recognized that there are families in our own town who are struggling with food security,” Isaac-Ruiz shares. “Bricelyn and the surrounding rural towns are particularly underserved compared to Blue Earth and Wells. Access to affordable nutritious food is difficult for a lot of the families who now utilize the pantry.”

Another part of the journey was becoming a partner agency with Channel One Regional Food Bank.

Since opening in June, the Bricelyn Food Pantry totaled 430 pantry visits through the month of November with over 16,000 pounds of food being distributed during that time.

Isaac-Ruiz explains how the program works.

“Each household can shop twice a month,” she says. “Our client shopping model allows for clients to select their own items that make the most sense for their families. This reduces waste and allows the clients to maintain a sense of dignity as they shop.”

The pantry is open every Thursday, from 5:30-7 p.m.

“We decided on our hours of operation based on when other food shelves in the county are open,” Carlson notes. “So families can shop in Wells on a Tuesday, Kiester on a Wednesday and then shop with us on Thursdays if needed.”

So far, the farthest a customer has traveled to come to the Bricelyn Food Pantry is from Blooming Prairie.

“One of our stipulations is that we turn nobody away,” Isaac-Ruiz adds. “We strive to be welcoming, friendly and helpful.”

Volunteers who work at the Bricelyn Food Pantry are also making an effort to reach out to those people who may find it difficult to make it to the pantry.

“We are also contacting veterans to let them know we are here to help,” Isaac-Ruiz shared. “One of the things we try and accomplish is removing the stigma that some might feel about needing help.”

There are other ways the group has reached out to others including feeding 57 area families and distributing over 5,000 pounds of food over the Thanksgiving holiday.

“The community has also been wonderful in offering their support,” Carlson comments. “For Christmas, the group has organized a Blessing Tree to help bring holiday cheer to children and senior citizens. The Bricelyn Lutheran Church, Farmers Trust and Savings and the city of Bricelyn have been wonderful partners by helping host and promote these projects.”

Currently the group is awaiting the delivery of commercial freezer and refrigerator units.

“Those units will help us stock more fresh food and have better shopping accessibility for our clients,” Isaac-Ruiz remarks. “We are hoping to secure a larger grant for renovations within two years. That will allow us to maximize the space available to better accommodate our growing operations.”

Going forward, Isaac-Ruiz and Carlson share that one of the group’s major challenges will be getting funding.

“But our clients face a number of barriers as well,” Isaac-Ruiz stresses. “Some do not have reliable transportation to get to other food assistance programs, or even to get to the grocery store on a consistent basis.”

Statistics show that visits to food shelves in Minnesota have been increasing.

“Last year, there were over seven million visits to food shelves in Minnesota,” Carlson states. “That is a two million visit increase from 2022. The need is very real, especially for rural Minnesotans.”

The good news is that volunteers like Isaac-Ruiz, Carlson and others around the county are taking action to improve the food security of those who are suffering

Anyone wishing to donate to the Bricelyn Food Pantry can drop off a check in person or make a donation through the groups’ website: www.cpfcmn.org