It's For You and Me--Jennifer Shares Her Love of Today's Harvest
On a sunny summer day in Oakdale, Minnesota, shoppers are lining up outside Today’s Harvest as a Second Harvest Heartland truck carrying farm-fresh eggs pulls up to the market’s loading station.
Inside, volunteers are hard at work sorting through fresh fruits and vegetables, stocking the produce tables, freezers, and bakery sections before the food shelf opens their doors to the public.
Jennifer is a regular at Today’s Harvest ever since she realized that the food shelf’s hours worked with her schedule.
Jennifer loves the welcoming feeling she gets when she visits Today's Harvest.
“I drive the ten minutes to Today’s Harvest—I live on the East Side of Saint Paul, but this place was open on a Saturday. And me and the food shelf—we’ve been friends ever since,” Jennifer jokes.
Jennifer recently retired due to mental health and physical mobility issues after a life of helping others in the community. “I was raised in Saint Paul—I did some college, but I basically worked from the age of twelve. I did some advocacy and human services work. I worked at the battered women’s shelter, as well as at a technology magnet school.”
Jennifer, like many retirees, has found herself utilizing food shelves because of the rising cost of basic needs and her reduced monthly income.
“Even though I’m single, one check a month doesn’t go very far when half your check is groceries, and then you have rent. And you know, I have two fur babies to keep me company, so I have to keep them happy.”
The Today's Harvest market offers shoppers plenty of well-organized fresh produce.
One of the things that Jennifer loves about Today’s Harvest is how caring and respectful the shopping process is. She’s also a self-confessed picky eater and is thrilled with the selection and choices that are available to her. “They have so many choices. Gluten-free, things of that nature. I love the variety and just the access. You’re respected here. I’m treated here very well, and not like a child—it’s been very big in my life.”
Because of Jennifer’s mobility issues, it is often difficult for her to stand and cook for longer periods of time, but when she does cook, she tries to minimize the time spent on her feet. “I try to enhance some of my mother’s old recipes—the greens. On Sunday, I made country style ribs. It’s something that I can throw in and leave alone. I like to use fruit to help add flavor—like season meats with the fruit and fruit juices.”
She also is a fan of the fresh produce provided by Second Harvest Heartland to use in her stir fry dinners. “I cook a lot of fried cabbage. I like to keep things simple—something quick on the stove so I don’t have to stand for too long.”
A Second Harvest Heartland driver unloads pallets of farm fresh eggs to be distributed at Today's Harvest.
Jennifer’s enthusiasm for the food shelf knows no bounds—her life has been so positively impacted by visiting Today’s Harvest that she wants to share the love with everyone else. “Don’t be afraid! Call me—I’ll help you through the process!” she says while laughing. “You’ll come in and you’ll walk out smiling. There are people here that will treat you with respect. This isn’t a hierarchy of class—it’s like, ‘Hello, I need some assistance. I don’t have groceries and I can’t get to the grocery store because I don’t have the money.’ It’s here for everybody regardless of status, class, etcetera. It’s especially designed for you and me.”
“Food impacts my life,” Jennifer says. “I can take care of my cats. I can get my medicine. I’m learning. I’m adjusting. I’m recognizing that all you have control over is what you like—and coming here is something I like.”