Volunteers turn out to build 'wall of food' to feed the hungry

Jeff Kiger, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·2 min read

Apr. 25—A team of 75 volunteers did more than just collect food in a Rochester church parking lot Saturday. They created a 200-foot-long physical representation of how the community is rebuilding in the wake of the pandemic.

Despite the chilly spring temperatures and gray skies, the parking lot of Evangelical United Methodist Church along North Broadway was filled with people.

People in food costumes, like a slice of bacon, a banana and a can of Spam, waved in donors bringing carloads of non-perishable food. Slider, the mascot of the Rochester Honkers baseball team, also lent a hand in welcoming donors and cheering on volunteers.

The food is being collected in a "Feed the Need" drive for Rochester Salvation Army's Food Shelf, which has seen a dramatic increase in local families needing help due to loss of jobs and other impacts from the pandemic.

Teams of volunteers, including community leaders like Mayor Kim Norton and Sheriff Kevin Torgerson, collected the food and placed the boxes and cans on 200 feet of shelves to make a "Community Food Wall."

Meanwhile, a band performed, and local food trucks served donors and volunteers in the festival-like atmosphere.

Why go to the trouble of stacking food on shelves, when it will be loaded into trucks at the end of the day to be hauled to the Salvation Army's Food Shelf at 115 First Ave. NE?

Jim Klepper, event organizer and the church's director of education and contemporary worship, said there was a "three-pronged" reason behind the wall.

"First, it is about feeding people who are hungry. Two, it is a compelling portrait of what can be done when the community comes together," he said. "And three ... we want people to get more than food. We want them to feel the support of the community."

Rebecca Snapp, the Rochester Salvation Army's director of community engagement, said combining the reality of collecting food with the metaphor of building "a wall" created something beautiful.

"We are literally rebuilding Rochester ... It's a cool visual, and I think it makes people happy," she said, watching the shelves fill up. "Nobody in this community should go hungry. There's no reason for that."