Stepping Stones of Dunn County will not be providing Turkeys or Hams to food-insecure community members during the holidays as it has in recent years.
2024 has been a difficult year for the non-profit organization, which provides direct food assistance to more than 10% of Dunn County residents. It has struggled to cover the increased costs of its Food Pantry and Emergency Shelter programs, while receiving significantly less funding from government and corporate foundation grants than in previous years.
“We have used more than half of our operating reserves this year,” said Padraig Gallagher, Executive Director of Stepping Stones. “We are working to stabilize our financial situation so that our core programs can continue for years to come, but it has been a challenging year.”
As a result, Stepping Stones has made the difficult decision not to distribute turkeys or hams for holiday meals. The organization had been able to provide these holiday main courses in the past through a combination of credits with local grocers and donations from individuals, churches, and businesses. This year, they cannot afford to get these items. Any store credits and monetary donations need to be used to purchase basic items for its pantry and other programs.
Stepping Stones still needs support from individuals and organizations that have donated turkeys and hams for distribution to the community in the past. It’s just a different type of support needed. Staple food and financial donations are vital to the households they serve, especially during the last months of the year.
“If you, or your church or business wanted to donate turkeys or provide funding for us to purchase turkeys this year,” Gallagher said “Please keep the support coming. We will use the funding to keep food abundant in our pantry. Instead of turkeys and hams, please consider donations of peanut butter, tuna, pasta and other staples to keep food on the tables of thousands of individuals and families being served in Dunn County.”
Media release from Stepping Stones.
