BEMIDJI 鈥� The Bemidji Community Food Shelf recently released its usage rundown for 2023, ending with a 20% increase in the number of people seeking food support.
"Since April of 2023 we've been serving over 1,000 families a month, something we've never done before," said executive director Michael Olson in a release.
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Olson attributes the increases to several factors that occurred last year. The reduction in COVID-19 support began in March, which caused the increase in April. This was followed shortly after by an increase in inflation, which hit many families' budgets that were already tight, the release said.
A total of 11,913 families visited the food shelf in 2023, serving 37,519 individuals. A total of 2,497 people from 892 households used the food shelf for the first time in 2023.
This year marks the 42nd year of the Bemidji Community Food Shelf's service to the community.
The food shelf is located at 1260 Exchange Ave. SE. Its hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. To learn more about the food shelf or become a volunteer, visit
The Trust Project
