The Community Foundation of Dunn County’s August competitive grant cycle helped Stepping Stones of Dunn County with a $5,000 grant to assist with two pop-up pantries in Rock Falls and Peru.
These pop-up pantries are an expansion to pop-ups already established in the rural and underserved Dunn County communities of Colfax, Downsville, Ridgeland and Sand Creek. Stepping Stones began the Pop-Up Pantry Project in 2018 and saw nearly a four percent service jump from 2019 to 2020, following the pandemic.
Rock Falls and Peru are both located in the southeast corner of Dunn County and are separated by 25+ miles of the Chippewa River connected by just one bridge through that stretch. Rock Falls, the larger of the two, is at least a fifteen minute drive from the neighboring cities of Mondovi, Durand and Eau Claire.
While the Peru pantry has not yet begun operations, the pantry in Rock Falls launched in October of last year and is held on the first Tuesday of each month. So far, these pantries combined have served roughly 30 families. Each household receives prepackaged bags that include shelf-stable food as well as produce, dairy and frozen meat items.
“It is so great to have the support of the Rock Falls community,” Food Pantry Manager Kris Pawlowski said. “We have a great group of local volunteers that drive the truck and help distribute the food.”
Pawlowski also added that they may be able to offer dietary preferences in the near future.
Due to Covid precautions, all distributions take place outdoors and volunteers place the food packages directly into each vehicle’s trunk.
