Keeping food on the table for many

Nancy Ness and Maureen Schlobohm don’t consider themselves heroes. But the nearly 1,900 Steele County residents who rely on Community Pathways Marketplace for food might disagree.
Throughout the pandemic, Ness and Schlobohm worked side-by-side to get food into the hands of those who needed it most.
And they did it in the snow, in the rain and in 95-plus degree temperatures.
COVID-19 hit just three months after Steele County Clothesline and the Steele County Food Shelf merged to form one organization, Community Pathways of Steele County. The merger formalized a collaboration that had existed for some time. The two organizations shared the same building, clients, and a database and were running out of space.
Ness and Schlobohm became co-directors of the new organization.
“If we hadn’t merged when we did, I don’t know what would have happened,” said Ness. “We needed each other.”
Marketplace quickly went to curbside pickup and the thrift store, now known as Unique Finds, was closed and used as storage space.
“We had to eliminate volunteers because it wasn’t safe for them,” Schlobohm said.
That left Ness, Schlobohm and four part-time employees to handle everything that just a month earlier required the assistance of 100 volunteers.
Both said they are proud of the staff and grateful that no one got sick.
Had any of them been exposed to the virus, a 14-day quarantine would have been required – and that, they said, could have compromised food distribution.
In addition to providing food through the Marketplace, Community Pathways partnered with the federal government to coordinate several Truck-to-Trunk food events during the pandemic.
Through that program, up to 1,200 boxes of food – filled with meat, vegetables, fruit and cheese – were distributed at each event.
On June 1,  Marketplace re-opened its doors to members for in-store shopping, albeit with some changes.
Families are no longer limited to shopping once a month. Instead, they now can shop every week - giving them greater access to fresher fruit and vegetable throughout the month, said Ness.
In addition, Schlobohm said that Community Pathways redesigned the Marketplace to create an experience similar to shopping in any supermarket.
Members now walk down the aisles unaccompanied by volunteers and choose the groceries they want for the week.
Marketplace strives to alleviate concerns about where a family’s next meal will come from, said Ness.
But keeping food on the table wasn’t the only thing on the minds of Ness and Schlobohm this past year.
With an eye on the future – in the midst of COVID-19 - Community Pathways launched a $2.6 million capital campaign in January called “Building New Pathways.”
Funds will be used to construct a new building next to the existing structure at 155 Oakdale St., with a central vestibule allowing entry into either side. Once built, two other non-profits, Let’s Smile and Steele County Transitional Housing, will be housed in the facility.
The new building is projected to cost $1.6 million. The remaining funds raised will go toward operational costs.
Ness said a successful capital campaign will position the organization to serve the families of Steele County.
“I’m really proud of where we are and where we’ve come from,” said Schlobohm. “We’ve come so far with the help of so many people. This community is amazing.”