Feeding Hope in Rural Communities, One Meal at a Time
Zion Lutheran Food Pantry in Hanska, Minn., started when community leaders saw food insecurity impacting families in their town. Shortly after, a food pantry box was constructed with funding from Thrivent to create a free resource for all who needed it.
“Small towns have a lot of the same problems that big cities do. Even though this town is only 400 people, the food pantry is getting used a lot,” says Tim Miller, Zion Lutheran Food Pantry representative.
In October 2024, it cost $300 to stock the pantry and organizers were concerned about raising funds to continue offering enough food for their community – until Kyle Miller called to let them know he’d chosen them to receive Compeer Financial’s $2,500 Giving Tuesday gift in Minnesota.
“It’s nice to give back to and help individuals this time of year, so I knew I wanted to choose the Zion Lutheran Food Pantry,” notes Kyle Miller, Minnesota Giving Tuesday contest winner. “Being part of the local community, it’s important to me to support the food pantry.”
In addition to the free food in the pantry box, the organization also hosts free meals at the church and delivers to homebound residents.
Pictured above (from L to R): Jill and Tim Miller, Zion Lutheran Food Pantry representatives; Kyle Miller, Compeer Financial’s Minnesota winner of the 2024 Giving Tuesday contest; Allison Strei and Joel Dorn, Compeer team members
“These are just small ways we can help in our community and this donation from Compeer came at a perfect time. If we can help people thrive by providing some food for them, that would be our greatest gift to the people,” concludes Tim Miller.
Zion Lutheran Food Pantry was selected as a winner of Compeer Financial’s Giving Tuesday 2024 contest, which gave winners the opportunity to designate a $2,500 donation to their favorite local organization. Three winners were chosen – one from each state in Compeer’s service area. Check out the heartwarming stories from the other two winners:
- ILLINOIS: Maggie St. Peters chose to give her $2,500 gift to the Tri-Valley FFA Chapter
- WISCONSIN: Lance Kamm gave back to the Baldwin Wide Awake 4-H Club
A Gift That Grows, Supporting Youth Service …
The Wide Awake 4-H Club, driven by a mission of service and agriculture education, will use a $2,500 gift to inspire and uplift their Wisconsin community.
Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders, Giving Back to R…
Tri-Valley FFA empowers students in rural Illinois with leadership skills and ag education. Learn how a $2,500 Giving Tuesday donation supports their mission.
Donations Uplift Rural Communities on Giving…
Compeer Financial supports food pantry, FFA chapter and 4-H club in rural communities across three states after Giving Tuesday contest winners are announced.