Ely Area Food Shelf
Shopping Day
The food shelf is located at 15 West Conan Street and is open on the third Wednesday of each month from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday Shopping Day
Stop in anytime between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. on the Saturday morning following regular food distribution day (the 3rd Wed) to shop for your food.
No shopping number needed on Saturday.
IT'S ALL IN THE NUMBERS
200
households served
monthly
70+
volunteers helping
monthly
12,000 + lbs
of food distributed
monthly
HOW IT WORKS
REGISTRATION
First-time shoppers are given a short registration form to complete.
HOME DELIVERY
Home delivery is available for people who are homebound and have no other options for receiving food, such as having a friend or relative shop for them. A volunteer will call to help you “shop by phone” and your food will be delivered. Call (218) 235-8527 to register for this program.
Emergency assistance is available during the month by calling (218) 235-8527.
ELIGIBILITY
Eligibility is based on either your participation in any of the programs listed below or your income which must be below 300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.(see table below)
- Child Care Assistance
- Energy Assistance
- GA – General Assistance
- Head Start
- MFIP-MN Family Investment Program
- MN Care – Minnesota Care
- NAPS – Nutrition Assistance Program for Seniors
- Reduced or free lunch or breakfast
- Section 8 Housing
- SNAP – Food Support
- SSI – Supplemental Security Income
- Transitional Housing
- Weatherization
- WIC – Women, Infants & Children
SHOPPING DAY
11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
The food shelf is located at 15 W Conan St and is open the third Wednesday of the month from 11 a.m to 5 p.m. for in-person shopping.
We are also open the Saturday following Foodshelf Day from 8-11 a.m. for in-person shopping.
Starting at 11:00am, shopping numbers are distributed which designate a 15-minute period of time when shoppers can return to shop. Shoppers may request a specific time (if still available) to fit their schedule. This system eliminates long lines and waiting, so shoppers are urged to honor that timeframe to prevent congestion.
If unable to pick up a shopping time at 11 a.m., shoppers may stop by at any time to pick up a number or wait to shop. If you have limited time we recommend shopping on Saturday morning when there are fewer shoppers.
Volunteers are available to help with shopping or carrying groceries.
The mission of the Ely Area Food Shelf is to provide a resource for people living in Ely, Minnesota, and the surrounding communities who have run out of options to alleviate hunger.
HOW TO HELP
DONATE FOOD
Food donation bins are conveniently located at Zup's Market inside the front entrance, The Ely Public Library, and St. Anthony's Catholic Church
If you want to give a larger quantity of food to the food shelf, please call or e-mail us, and a food shelf volunteer will contact you to make arrangements for dropping off your food donation.
You can bring food to the food shelf at 15 West Conan Street without an appointment on the third Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a food shelf volunteer will be there to assist you.
DONATE TIME
If you want to give the gift of your time to the food shelf, please call or e-mail us, and the appropriate person will respond to your inquiry.
Volunteering does not need to be limited to stocking shelves; there are many ways you can assist us with your donation of time. We've listed a few possibilities, but let us know if you have another idea. Be creative!
As a volunteer, you could
- unload the delivery truck
- distribute food
- collect food donations around town
- help order food from the food bank
- give presentations to community groups, schools, churches, etc.
- deliver food to seniors or housebound customers
- serve on the board of directors
- help plan, organize, or assist with a food drive or a fund-raiser
- create flyers or promotional and publicity materials
- help compile statistics
- assist with data entry
DONATE MONEY
If you want to give a gift of money to the food shelf, please donate now online or mail a check to:
Ely Area Food Shelf
PO Box 786
Ely, MN 55731.
The Ely Area Food Shelf is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and any donation is tax deductible.
Food and nonfood items are donated by local clubs, organizations and individuals. Food is purchased from Second harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank in Duluth and purchased locally from Zup's Market.
The Ely Area Food Shelf has very low overhead; most of the monetary donations are used to purchase food.