Profile: A Food Share Volunteer Behind the Black Awning

The Lowry Hill East Food Share gives out free groceries to more than 100 households a month, and it runs entirely on volunteers rather than paid staff. Operated by the Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association, the Wedge's neighborhood group, it distributes food from SpringHouse Ministries at 610 W. 28th St., near Lyndale Avenue South.

The pantry is open 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the second Saturday and third Wednesday of each month, and often the fourth Saturday as well; LHENA asks people to call or email to confirm the fourth-Saturday dates. Shoppers choose their own groceries in person rather than receiving a pre-packed box.

Because the program depends on volunteers, the list of households it serves tends to run longer than the hands available on any given distribution day. LHENA recruits neighbors to sort, stock and hand out food, and points to the Food Share as one of the clearest ways renters and homeowners alike can take part in the neighborhood's civic life.

To reserve groceries, volunteer or get more information, the Food Share can be reached at 612-208-6044 or [email protected].

[unverifiable: the original draft profiled an unnamed volunteer; with no named subject to verify, this version covers the program itself rather than an anonymous individual.]