White Bear Township recognizes food shelf’s role in community

White Bear Press

WHITE BEAR TOWNSHIP — The Town Board voted to recognize the White Bear Area Emergency Food Shelf with an official proclamation for the work the program does for the township during the regular meeting on June 19.

The board heard a presentation from Andrea Kish-Bailey, the food shelf's executive director, on the program and its service to the community.

During any given month in 2016, 590 individuals received food and support from the food shelf, of which 57 percent were children and 6 percent were seniors, Kish-Bailey said during the presentation. 

“The goal is to increase access to healthy food and eliminate barriers which have traditionally made it difficult for low-income families to make the healthy choice the easy choice,” Kish-Bailey said.

The White Bear Food Shelf has a variety of programs to assist low-income community members. With the monthly shopping program, residents of the White Bear area can make appointments to shop for regular grocery items. Bonus Fridays, which are open to anyone, provide a wider selection of fresh produce. Kid packs are delivered during the weekends of the school year when students are not able to receive free or reduced school lunches. There are also a number of mobile markets the White Bear Food Shelf runs.

“It’s not about numbers and statistics at the food shelf, it’s about names and faces,” Kish-Bailey said.

The program, which is in its 40th year, had over 220 volunteers in 2016 with revenue coming from individual donors, area foundations, local churches and civic groups.

While many of the programs focus on the food access, the organization has also set up an emergency fund to help residents afford rent, utilities or other basic supplies.

“Obviously, you are providing an outstanding service for the community and you’re in the community here, so it’s a definite benefit for White Bear Township and our neighbors,” Town Board Chair Bob Kermes said. 

Donations can be cash or fresh produce. The White Bear Food Shelf is located at 1884 Whitaker Street. The organization’s website can be found at www.whitebearfoodshelf.org. Every dollar provides up to eight dollars worth of food, Kish-Bailey said. Donations can also be made during Movies in the Park and Township Days events.

In other action at the June 19 meeting, the board: 

• Approved a $42,930 contract with Husnik Homes Inc. to work on the Town Hall building exterior. The amount was under the town’s original estimate; funding will come from the Polar Lake Park fund.

• Finalized the scope of services and signing of a contract with Hoisington Koegler Group Inc. for the town's Comprehensive Plan, to be completed by December 2018 in an amount not exceeding $45,000. Funding will come from the general budgets of 2017 and 2018.

• Approved a change order, pay estimate and additional services for the southeast sewer lining project for no more than $9,500. The project is still on schedule. 

“As we continue to go on with the project, we find more items that need to be addressed,” Town Engineer Jim Studenski said.

• Authorized an additional $16,900 to replace an interior ceiling of the water tower, which is currently undergoing repainting. Work will continue; blasting and prime coat painting is underway at the moment. With the additional costs, the project is still under budget and is on track to finish by August. Payment is coming from the water fund.

• Held about a 20-minute closed meeting considering a settlement offer in an ongoing mediation case.