New Pathways refrigerated truck helps rescue food

Within days of taking possession of a new refrigerated truck, Community Pathways of Steele County rescued thousands of pounds of food to pipe into the local food bank.

On May 11, a new Isuzu truck equipped with a Thermo King refrigeration system rolled into the parking lot of Community Pathways in Owatonna. Just two days later, the truck became a storage space for 7,000 pounds of frozen meat valued at $25,000.

“In the past, we would have only been able to take 2,000 pounds,” said Dom Korbel, executive director of Community Pathways. “We fired up the truck, and we saved $25,000 of meat in the third day we had the truck.”

One week later around Memorial Day, Community Pathways was able to accept 10 pallets of deli items that had been rejected by Walmart because of spacing issues. The items included salsas, salads and other deli foods.

“We put two pallets inside (our building) and held eight pallets outside in the truck,” Korbel explained. “Because of this truck, we rescued 15,000 pounds of food that we couldn’t have taken in the past. The driver told us we were his last hope of saving the food.”

For Community Pathways, the irony in all of this is that the impact saving truck didn’t cost them a cent. It was a gift valued at $200,000 from the Harvey and Sharon West Trust. It ranks as one of the largest single donations ever made to the food shelf, Korbel said.

About a year ago, Community Pathways began discussing the need for a refrigerated truck. However, not surprisingly, the budget didn’t allow for it. In early March, Betsy Lindgren, one of five trustees of the West family trust, called Korbel stating they wanted to do something special for the food shelf. “She said to give them an idea and think big,” he said.

Korbel didn’t have to think long on thinking big. He tossed out the idea of the refrigerated truck, and the trustees quickly approved it.

“We wanted this truck to expand our capacity to take large donations that require refrigeration,” Korbel said, noting they just don’t have enough space for perishable food inside the building. “This adds eight pallets of capacity at about 15,000 to 20,000 pounds for storage. In the past, we would have only been able to take 20% of that.”

The 22-foot truck is equipped with a lift gate of 2,500-pound capacity, according to Korbel. It also has various safety features, including LED lighting. He said they intentionally kept the truck small enough so that a CDL license would not be required to operate it.

“This gives us something we never thought would have been possible three years ago,” Korbel said.

The Wests

Sharon worked as the human resources manager for Truth Hardware for many years and retired in 2000. She began working for the Owatonna Chamber of Commerce and Tourism in 2002, taking a year off between 2007 and 2008 to care for Harvey, and officially retired in 2012. She continued to serve as a Chamber ambassador and as a volunteer until her passing.

During her life, Sharon was a dedicated volunteer at the Steele County Historical Society and a trustee of the Owatonna Foundation. Some of the organizations she volunteered with included United Way of Steele County, the Airport Commission, the Hospice House, Nortonna Lodge and the Dam Preservation Corporation.

She was the first female chair for the Owatonna Chamber and the first female Rotary president in Owatonna. West was recognized with the Woman of the Year award and later the Pioneer Woman Award from the Owatonna Business and Professional Women’s organization.

Among many accomplishments Harvey competed in sports car racing throughout the U.S. for 30 years, winning several regional championships. He qualified for what’s considered the Olympics of amateur sports car racing 17 times. He also served on many community organizations before he died in 2008.

The truck prominently features Community Pathways’ logo and Harvey and Sharon’s racing logo on the side and a special tribute to the Wests with their photo is displayed on the back door.

“It’s a subtle, but prominent way to recognize them,” Korbel said. However, he added, because of how humble Sharon was, he is confident she wouldn’t approve of the recognition.

The Wests did not have children.

The Owatonna Foundation recognized the philanthropic commitment of Harvey and Sharon, both financially and in spirit, with the 2022 Spirit of the Community Award, noting they had “unwavering enthusiasm and passion for making a difference” in Owatonna.

For Korbel, the truck donation comes full circle. “Sharon hired me at Truth Hardware,” he said. “It has come full circle that her estate has done this. It's a game changing thing for us.”

He called the Wests “long-time supporters of the organization.”

“It’s slick,” Korbel says. “We have a brand-new truck because people believe in us as we are able to demonstrate the good work we are doing.”

He said the West donation as well as other community donations are nothing short of being remarkable. “The generosity of Owatonna and Steele County is unbelievable. The community believes in us, and they trust us,” Korbel said, adding that Community Pathways has “worked hard to show how good of an investment we are.”

Previously, the late Marty Fetters donated $500,000 for the capital fund campaign for the new building. Korbel said the West donation is the “largest donation outside of the capital campaign.”

Korbel said, “We hope this inspires others with making big gifts.”

In May, the West trust donated $25,000 to the Steele County Sheriff’s Office for its new drone program. The trustees are also planning to make other significant donations this year in an effort to complete a five-year buy down of the trust.