ABOVE: Heaven’s Table Board Chair Greta Lintelman looks through the old three-door fridge that will soon be replaced by two new two-door fridges, as part of three grants they have recently been awarded.

FAIRMONT – Heading into their summer season, Heaven’s Table Food Shelf in Fairmont has recently received a total of three grants to help with projects and overall operation.

One, from Open Your Heart through their Hunger and Homeless Grant cycle, was sent to Board Chair Greta Lintelman and volunteer and grant writer Sue Eisenmenger.

“They do a summer challenge for a lot of food shelves throughout the state,” she said. “I think this is the first time Heaven’s Table has actually applied for the actual grant. They do some fundraising statewide, and then Heaven’s Table has gotten a portion of that.”

This grant is for $7,316. With it, they will be able to replace an old three-door refrigerator with two new two-door ones.

“The three-door refrigerator we’re looking to move was donated to us, and it was set into service in 1996,” Lintelman said. It doesn’t owe us anything. It served us well, but it’s hard to get repair parts at this point because of the age.”

As for why they don’t just replace a three-door with a three-door, Lintelman said three-door refrigerators, for Heaven’s Table’s purposes, have become costly. So much so, that getting two two-door refrigerators will be nearly the same price, with an additional section’s worth of storage.

“When Kahler Electric worked on our furnace, they changed the ductwork,” Lintelman said. “That allowed us the space to move those units down, which would allow us the space to put four doors instead of a three-door unit.”

Heaven’s Table was notified by Federated Electric that they would be willing to support them with a grant. Through a match with CoBank and Basin Electric Power Cooperative, $15,000 was raised. This money will be used in a variety of ways.

“We can use a portion of it to finish out the project for the cooler section,” Lintelman said. “Then we will take a look at what we have remaining from our equipment standpoint and see if that’s a place where we want to utilize the rest of it. Fifty-percent of it will go to the backpack program. We’ll be putting the money that we’re gaining for them in their account to supply the food for the kids.”

Information was also sent to Heaven’s Table about an opportunity through the Taylor Family Farms Foundation. While juggling multiple opportunities, Eisenmenger’s grant request to the foundation was accepted for a total of $20,000.

With funding for equipment replacements secured, Lintelman said the foundation grant money will go directly towards Heaven’s Table’s current programs and saving for the backpack program when it resumes next school year.

For all three to have come together at once, Lintelman said it doesn’t always happen like this.

“The opportunities just showed up at a particular time,” she said. “I think that grants tend to lean toward a certain span of time, and they come due sometimes at the end of a quarter, from a business standpoint. Some of them do land on the same timing schedule.”

It’s always good when it does though, and Lintelman said they are looking for grant opportunities pretty much every day.

“I get a newsletter from the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits that always has listings,” Eisenmenger said. “Region Nine has listings, sends out information about grants available, so there’s a large [network].”

In the years she has been here, Eisenmenger said grants are essential.

“The community does a wonderful amount of support, individuals and businesses,” she said. “For the extra projects, the grants are probably really essential to keep things happening here.”

Overall, especially with these grants, Lintelman said things are good right now.

“Our numbers are up slightly,” she said. “We thought Ruby’s pantry closing would be something that would affect us, and I think gradually that is coming in as well.”

For more information, visit heavenstable.org or call 507-238-5424.