News

A true Thanksgiving wish

By Scott Wagar

11/25/2014

As Thanksgiving arrives this week, the community of Bottineau has so much to be thankful for, which includes a non-profit organization that feeds the hungry and the man who leads the way in his attempt to stop hunger in the local area.

“I am still totally amazed of how many people are hungry in our nation even though the United States produces enough food to feed the world. We throw away more food than most countries make,” said Tim Schroeter, director of the Bottineau Food Pantry. 

“The bottom line here is that I just hate the idea that even in Bottineau County we have a lot of people that are hungry.”

Each month, Schroeter makes every effort to make sure no one in the area has to go hungry by distributing boxes of food to individuals who struggle to place groceries on their tables. 

When residents in the community sit down to eat, more than likely they never give a second thought that there are individuals going hungry in Bottineau, but in reality the numbers are alarming. 

According to documents from the Bottineau Food Pantry in October, 89 families, made up of 173 individuals, came to the food pantry seeking provisions. More shocking, of the 173 people seeking food, 81 of them were children, 51 were the elderly and 41 were adults. 

“Two or three years ago at the Bottineau Food Pantry, we were serving 30 to 40 families. We are now up to 89 families,” Schroeter said. “So, we literally have doubled; and yet, we keep hearing of how great our economy is and all that stuff. It’s kind of scary.”

Schroeter, who has been with the Bottineau Food Pantry for the past 10 years, and the director of the organization for the past two years, takes hunger seriously and spends a great deal of time getting the word out that Bottineau has a food pantry and it’s here to serve those in need.

Since being named the director, Schroeter, through his determined heart, conducts a remarkable public relation mission in the region. Through his actions, individuals, who didn’t know they qualified for food discovered they can get food; volunteers have doubled in number; financial donation have increased and the amount of food each person receives has been boosted by over 50 percent. 

Schroeter stated receiving food isn’t a difficult process.

“It as easy as showing up,” he said. “We use the same guidelines social services uses for food stamps by using community action.
“All one has to do is come in and fill out an application, which ask three questions – your Social Security Number, your income and same thing for every family number.”

In order to be eligible, Schroeter stated the annual income for a family of one is $23,340. For each additional family member $8,120 is added on. 

“So, a family of four would be $47,700,” Schroeter said.
If individuals’ applications meet the eligibility requirements, a box with 50 pounds of food is given to the applicant. The box holds cereal, meat, fruit and vegetables (frozen or canned) and cookies. 

“It is kind of selection, like a person who goes to the grocery store and buys food,” Schroeter said. “My goal with the boxes is I to try and pick items so that there is at least one full meal provided and a number of smaller meals.”

Larger families that come to the food pantry receive more food items in their boxes. 

At the present moment, the food panty cares for families that range in size from one person to nine family members. Of the 89 families, 20 to 25 of the families have four and more people in their families.

Prior to Schroeter taking over the food pantry, the average size of a box was 25 to 30 pounds of food staples. However, when he became the director of the pantry he increased the size to 50 pounds because he felt the prior poundage of food was too little, leaving people still hungry.

Outside of the food that is brought into the pantry from official sources, Schroeter stated that locally, Bottineau Hometown Market, Mattern Family Meats and Metigoshe Ministries are monthly supporters to the food pantry with donated or discounted food, deliveries and assistance. 

“They make a difference in helping us out and helping those who are hungry,” Schroeter said. “I can’t say enough about them.”  
Schroeter said the food pantry is just not a place for people on food stamps, but it is place  utilized by a number of people for a number of important and unforeseen reasons.

“One just never knows what is going to take place in a person’s life; because of that, a food pantry can come in handy for people,” he said. “We had a guy once who went on vacation. Before going on vacation, he emptied out his fridge. When he returned home, he found out he had been fired from his job. With no food in his fridge, and having to wait four to six weeks before he could get unemployment, the food pantry was the only place to provide him with food for one month. 

“Another example is a family who didn’t need food, but out of nowhere a family member dropped off all their children and they fell short of money that month to purchase food for them,” Schroeter said.

The reasons Schroeter takes hunger so seriously is for two very important reasons.

“I don’t want anyone to go hungry,” Schroeter said. “And, I am a firm believer in Matthew 25:34-40. It’s the verses that go, ‘For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was a stranger you took me in…’ These verses mean a lot to me and it made me see that there is no need, nor do I like to see, anybody going hungry.”

Individuals, who have questions or would like to apply to be part of the Bottineau Food Pantry, can go to the food pantry and seek out assistance. The food pantry is located on Highway 5 across the street from Farmers Union Lumber and Appliance store.

The Bottineau Food Pantry is open the first Wednesday of the month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Starting in January, the food pantry’s day will change to the third Wednesday of each month. If it is an emergency, individuals can call 228-4098 and Schroeter will assist you.

Schroeter on this Thanksgiving week is a person to be thankful for in having him in the Bottineau community. His dedication in wiping out hunger is more than just from the heart, it is a conviction of doing good for all mankind with one meal at a time.

That is something to be thankful for in our lives here in Bottineau.