The Dodge County Food Shelf raised over $1500 during its annual all Christian Music Concert
BY: ALEX MALM DCI NEWS EDITOR | Wed, 10/17/2018 – 6:01pm
Dodge County Independent & Steele County Times
About 25 years ago Dodge C Shelf volunteer Dave Koehler came up with the idea to have spring Christian concerts to help raise money for the food shelf. Since then that idea expanded into having an annual fall concert as well.
On Sunday, despite the snow, a room full of people gathered to Faith Lutheran Church in Dodge Center for the fifth annual fall food shelf concert.
During the fundraiser, people in attendance were very generous and raised over $1,500 for the worthy cause. “With those kind of dollars it’s a great way to purchase a lot of food and special foods that we don’t get from donations,” said Audrey Erwin, director for the Dodge County Food Shelf.
During the bi-annual concerts, musicians and talents from all over the county and the area volunteer their talents to help out with the fundraisers.
Aside from generous donations of food from communi- ty members one of the places that the organization gets food for the shelf is through purchasing it from the food bank in Rochester, called Channel One.
At the food bank they are able to buy a pound of food for about fourteen cents.
With the donations collected during the concert that means they are able to purchase over 10,000 pounds of food to help people in the community who may be struggling.
Last year the local food shelf helped assist over fourteen hundred individu- als from over four hundred households. “The money that comes in and the support from the community and churches is so fabulous and important, “ Erwin stated after the fundraiser.
While the food shelf only hosts two fundraisers per year themselves throughout the course of the year many non profit organizations and schools participate in food drives and fundraisers, including the Boy Scouts, Post Office and Lions Club just to name a few.
For those who would like to make contributions to the food shelf can either do so buy dropping off food or checks to the food shelf or through the mail.