BLAINE, Minn. – (Nov. 19, 2015) – Fare for All is one of the programs run by the non-profit, The Food Group. For nearly 40 years, they have worked with food shelves to provide access to quality food at wholesale or under wholesale prices.
“What we do is sell packages of frozen meats and fruits and vegetables for 40 percent and sometimes 50 percent under retail prices,” said Scott Weatherhead, supervisor for Fare for All.
Once a month Fare for All sets up shop at Christ Lutheran Church in Blaine, and gets ready to sell discounted food to anyone who shows up. This is one of 32 sites in Minnesota that they visit every single month.
Weatherhead said, “The way it works, is we take a refrigerated truck and go out to 2 sites nearly every day.”
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“Our produce pack is almost $10. It has 15-17 pounds of fruits and vegetables in it, that’s the average.”
The meats and the produce will vary month to month and by location. It depends on what The Food Group was able to buy at great prices. On this day, the produce pack had lots of family-friendly fruits and vegetables.
Weatherhead shared the produce included in this month’s box, “Five pounds potatoes, 2 pounds of yams (sweet potatoes), we have 2 pounds of onions, a pound of carrots, 4 gala apples, 4 golden delicious apples, and 6 oranges.”
In November and December they also sell special holiday packs. November’s box helped set people up for a Thanksgiving meal with a turkey, pork sausage, pork tenderloin, chicken breasts, green beans and an apple pie.
People were in line to buy boxes of food more than 45 minutes before they opened, eagerly waiting capture some of the deals. Unlike some food programs, this one is open to people of any age and of any income.
“The biggest misconception of the program is that some people say: ‘I don’t go to Fare for All because I don’t want to take food away from people who need it more than I do’. And, I’ve heard that so many times and the exact opposite is true for Fare for All. So, I want to let everyone know that we want everyone to shop at Fare for All because what happens is we have a bulk purchase model. So, the more food that we buy the lower our cost,” shared Weatherhead.
Scott says that they do see a lot of people make their purchases with food stamps, but that is only a part of their clientele.
“We have people on food stamps who are struggling, we have people who just have a tight budget, we might have a one income family, so things are tight, but they’ll get better and after it gets better, they come back to Fare for All, and we have the coupon clippers.”
So, just because you might be able to afford retail food prices, doesn’t mean you have to.
“If you aren’t coming to a Fare for All just because you think it is for people who are struggling, that is absolutely not true, you’re helping everyone in the community keep prices low.”
For Scott, he loves helping people. And he loves seeing people help other people. He took this job after leaving the banking industry, and has been with Fare for All for more than 3 years now. He says that everyday coming to work is still a great experience.
“Since I’ve had this job, there’s no such thing as a bad day because we’re dealing with people, some people, who are really struggling and they could use a hand, and when they come and tell you how important this is for them and their families, how do you not feel good about it. So, that’s why I do it.”
Seeing people dealing with hunger is never fun for anyone, but he sees people be able to afford healthy foods when they otherwise couldn’t. He sees people who’ve moved from just customers to people who love the program so much that they become volunteers, and he’s seen people become some of their most vocal ambassadors simply by telling all of their friends about the program. He’s seen how the program can change people, and how it can simply meet anyone right where they are at.
Weatherhead concluded, “There’s a lot of people who aren’t struggling and they’re not struggling because they’re cheap, and I happen to be kind of cheap myself. And those people I would tell you not only can you save money on the same products you’re going to have anyway at a local store, but why wouldn’t you save money and feel good that you’re helping other people at the same time. It’s a bonus. It’s a win-win.”
