In 2024, the Lakeland Pantry says it has served approximately 1,100 families and 4,000 individuals, giving out approximately 650,000 pounds of food (equating to about 540 meals), and they say that these numbers are only continuing to increase.
Located on Highway 51 in Arbor Vitae, the Lakeland Pantry services the communities of the North Woods, including (but not limited to) Hazelhurst, Minocqua, Woodruff, Arbor Vitae, Lake Tomahawk and Lac du Flambeau. It is considered to be one of the largest rural food pantries in the state.
Despite serving an area known for thriving wilderness and being a vacationer’s paradise for going out on the lake or enjoying local trails, pantry volunteers say that the number of those who need to use the pantry has been increasing in a post-COVID pandemic environment.
“Given the nature of our environment up here, people don’t realize that the food pantry is up here… people are coming up to vacationland and don’t see the struggle,” said Pantry Board Chairman Bill Olmsted. “You come up here to vacation and go on the lake, you don’t realize that the people who live here are struggling.”
Added Ginny Buzzell, a volunteer at the Pantry, “We’re helping a great need. We help any people, see a lot of people who work — lots of them are people who come in and are grateful, and they’re almost crying. They’re grateful to have a resource like us in the area.”
The Pantry’s very beginnings were when the pantry was initially funded in the 1970s by the Lakeland Ministerial Association, a group of local churches that banded together to combat food insecurity. In the beginning, the pantry was run on someone’s front porch, but then it moved its operations to a gym closet located in Minocqua. However, the effort of setting up and putting everything away every day became too labor-intensive, so a board member at the time donated the building that the Pantry currently resides in in 2009, under the stipulation that the building always remain a pantry.
In the 1990s, it became an independent committee of the Howard Young Foundation, a role it continues to fulfill today. The Pantry is managed by a part-time director, and supported by a dedicated team of 150 volunteers who contribute over 2,600 hours each month.
“When Covid hit, it changed a lot of worlds and the pantry as rural area pantries needed more help,” said Olmstead. “We’ve been making more of an effort to have outreach and tell people that we’re here and that they’re a resource they can utilize. We need to amp up outreach to find people who need food.”
The demographics most often seen seeking services from the Pantry, according to volunteers, consist primarily of “working poor,” or families with adults who work 2-3 jobs and still struggle to afford food, and seniors.
“The people that we see come through here are people who may struggle with the dilemma of paying for medication or paying for food,” explained Buzzell. “Or they can pay for rent and bills, but barely have anything for buying groceries. We’re here to offer these things and we’re here to help, no questions asked.”
Services provided from the pantry include food, a Book Nook with books for both adults and children, second-hand clothing, infant and toddler supplies and basic health checks that will start being offered in May. The health checks will be provided through a partnership with Howard Young Medical Center, and will be performed by licensed nurses. According to Buzzell, while the medical checks are only basic screenings, if nurses see something wrong with a patient, they will refer them to a doctor. All of these services are free of charge.
Those who visit the Pantry are presented with a card where they indicate the number of people in their family — including how many adults and how many children — so that Pantry staff may use these numbers to know how much food, and even how much of what kind of food, a family, or person, will receive.
Foods that are available to be picked up from the Pantry include meals in a box, fresh produce and meat, cereals, rice, pasta, frozen sandwiches donated by Kwik Trip and Starbucks, dairy, eggs and even pet food for cats and dogs.
Along with services, the Pantry offers food boxes to area churches, hospitals, police stations, senior centers, libraries and schools, as well as string backpacks filled with food, hygiene products and can openers for those who may be homeless. These bags can be found at local chambers of commerce, police departments and hospitals.
“You don’t think of homelessness up here, but they’re here,” said Olmsted. “They’re living in campgrounds, or couch surfing, or living in their car — they’re up here.”
Staff at the Pantry says that while they’re an available resource who’s willing to help, the stigma of reaching out to food pantries for help is one of several barriers that may be keeping people from seeking their aid.
“We’re here to help, but there’s still stigma,” said Pantry Director Lorna Springate. “The stigma will always exist. People are too proud, sometimes.”
Added Buzzell, “We’re no judgment here, it’s not allowed.”
Along with stigma, transportation, or, rather, the lack thereof, is described as another big impediment by Pantry staff, as well as people struggling to find time to stop by when the pantry is open due to conflicting work hours.
As a way to help combat this, while also combating the stigma of being seen at a pantry, Olmsted says that the Pantry is “on the cusp” of opening an order-ahead program where people can pick up food out of temperature-controlled lockers that would be situated outside the Pantry outside of business hours.
“We also hope that setting something up like the lockers will help in eliminating the stigma of coming to the pantry and being seen at one,” said Springate.
There isn’t a set date for this project, as the Pantry is still waiting on funds to turn this idea into a reality.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Lakeland Pantry operates solely on community donations and grants, no outside or federal funding.
“Applying for grants is a year-round process,” explained Springate. “We make it a team effort to be constantly on the lookout for new grants and funding opportunities, and sometimes we even have teams of four or five people writing grant proposals.”
With donations, every $1 donated can buy $7 worth of food. 90-95% of the food available at the Pantry was bought by the Pantry.
“A donation of $15 is enough to provide meals to a child for one week,” Buzzell said.
On top of receiving no federal funding, most, if not all, of the staff present at the pantry are volunteers, working diligently to keep the doors to the Pantry open.
“We truly have a great team here. This whole operation would be impossible without them, or without tremendous support from community members and local commerce,” said Olmsted. “People here are very community-minded.”
The Pantry’s outreach programs focus on children and individuals with urgent needs through community hub locations such as police stations, churches and hospitals. Some school-based outreach initiatives include:
• Hope in a Backpack – A partnership with Ascension Lutheran and Calvary Lutheran Churches, that provides weekend food backpacks for families in need in all elementary schools and Lakeland Union High School
• Snack program for local schools
• Preschool lunch program at Foundation Church
• Grocery gift cards for Lakeland Sharing recipients
• Thanksgiving and Christmas Meal Kits for families in the Lakeland Area School District provide support for programs at the LDF Nation.
Annual fundraising events like the Bear Cupboard Run and Wine, and Women & Winter, are crucial in sustaining the Pantry. The Pantry also receives support from local businesses and community-organized fundraisers that demonstrate a collective commitment to addressing food insecurity.
With the region’s seasonal tourism economy, many families experience financial strain due to underemployment. The Pantry serves as a bridge, ensuring no family goes without support during difficult times.
Those interested in learning more about the Pantry and about how they can help are encouraged to visit and take a tour for a more up-close and personal look at how the Pantry is run.
“We invite people to visit, take a tour, help get rid of stigma, socialize,” explained Buzzell. “There’s no reason that this should be an unpleasant experience. We’re clean, friendly, smiling, we want to make people feel welcome and that they’re worthy of help.”
Food, clothing and other items are accepted for donations. The only items that cannot be accepted are any products, food or otherwise, that contain any sort of alcohol.
“Be aware of us, that we’re here to help our neighbors and community,” said Olmsted. “Hunger doesn’t wait — neither should we.”
The Pantry is always accepting donations and welcomes volunteers. For more information, or to volunteer, visit lakelandpantry.com/donate or email lakelandpantry@hyfinc.org.
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