BEMIDJI — When a crisis hits, some people just need to take action. Gina Froemming and Jessica Santala are two such people.
"When I first heard about the SNAP benefits being turned off, my mind went straight to, 'How do we feed people?'" Froemming said during a Bright Spot segment on the KAXE Morning Show.
Froemming — also known to KAXE listeners as Gina the Knife — and Santala were recently inspired by seeing trunk-or-treat events for Halloween throughout the area. They are gathering people to offer shelf-stable food, hygiene products and clothing from their vehicles 3-5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, in the Paul Bunyan Mall parking lot in Bemidji, near the Hobby Lobby entrance.
Those in need of items may take what they need, or perhaps if someone has too much of an item, they may exchange it for something else. Anything left at the end of the event will be brought to the Bemidji Community Food Shelf.
Santala also told us about a free community feast happening at 7 p.m. every Friday in November at the White Earth Nation office in downtown Cass Lake.
"Community events are starting to pop up because people are really wanting to take care of each other," Santala said.
If you or someone you know is in need, check out this list of food resources, listed by county.
Listen to our full conversation above.
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The Bright Spot is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
