50 Volunteers Keep Minnesota Food Pantry Running Strong

When Greg Husfeldt's truck rolls toward Hallock, Minnesota, carrying 5,000 pounds of food, a small miracle of coordination unfolds. One phone call sets off a chain reaction that mobilizes dozens of volunteers in under 30 minutes.

Juli Younggren cofounded the Cornerstone Food Pantry in 2012, and she's perfected the art of the volunteer text chain. When Husfeldt calls from Argyle, she alerts fellow cofounder Heather Peterson and other regular volunteers. Peterson then contacts the local school and community members, and the network comes alive.

The National Honor Society students from Kittson Central High School form human chains down the stairs, passing boxes hand to hand. Their young backs and shoulders handle what the older volunteers—many with bad hips and aging joints—can no longer manage alone.

"Having the kids come is huge for us," Peterson said. "Some of us are getting older and have bad backs, hips and shoulders. So we're so lucky when the kids help."

The volunteer roster shifts with the seasons. Farmers pitch in when they can, but spring planting and fall harvest keep them away. Between 30 and 50 people rotate through the pantry's volunteer base, each filling a unique role.

Monica Halvorson serves as the Spanish-language interpreter, helping create shelf signage and bridging communication gaps. Every month, the North Country Food Bank delivery weighs between 4,500 and 5,000 pounds, and every month, the community shows up.

Husfeldt has driven the same route since the pantry opened 14 years ago. That consistency mirrors the steady commitment of volunteers who've turned emergency food distribution into a well-oiled community effort.

The Ripple Effect

The Cornerstone Food Pantry proves that community strength isn't measured in individual heroics but in reliable networks of people who show up. When one person can't lift a box, five others step in. When farmers are in the fields, students arrive after school. When language becomes a barrier, a translator appears.

"As a community, we just all have to support each other in all of our endeavors," Peterson said. "Find your niche and find where you fit in."

In Kittson County, everyone has found their place in the chain.