A Cornerstone of volunteers: Testament of community

By Jack Waters
Once a month, an early Tuesday call from a North Country Food Bank truck driver is dispatched, as expected, to Juli Younggren, one of the managers and founders of the Cornerstone Food Pantry in Hallock. Like a Bat-Signal, this call activates dozens of volunteers across Kittson County as the driver, Greg Husfeldt, in a proper upper Minnesotan way, travels with North Country fare toward the pantry.

VOLUNTEERS HELP UNLOAD TRUCKS at the Cornerstone Food Pantry in Hallock. Driver Greg Husfeldt, far left, has delivered here since the pantry opened. Also pictured are Kittson Central teacher Mark Christenson, and NHS students MacKenzie Casper, Brynn Hennen and Aubree Pankratz. (Submitted photo)

Husfeldt has been delivering to the pantry since it opened in 2012.
“Greg usually calls us when he leaves Argyle, which gives us about 30 minutes to prepare. So I send a text to (fellow cofounder) Heather Peterson and some of the other gals who are regular volunteers,” said Younggren. “Then Heather contacts Roger Schwenzfeier and the school to see who is available and it’s a whole communication chain thing.”
The school kids tend to be from Kittson Central’s National Honor Society, and their help goes a long way.
“Having the kids come is huge for us. They make a big sandbag line down the stairs and they just pass it all along into the pantry. It’s really quite quick with enough people. Some of us are getting older today and have bad backs, hips and shoulders. So we’re so lucky when the kids help,” said Peterson.
Sometimes a group of farmers is requested at the last minute to unload, but once spring work or fall harvest happens, the rotating cast of regular volunteers shoulders the load. The once-a-month deliveries from NCFB typically weigh between 4,500-5,000 pounds.
Younggren said the volunteer base is roughly between 30 to 50 people, depending on the season and the needs, and includes everyone from the aforementioned farmers to a Spanish-language interpreter, Monica Halvorson, who helps bridge communication gaps in conversation and shelf signage.
“The main thing is, as a community, we just all have to support each other in all of our endeavors. Find your niche and find where do you fit in,” said Peterson.

To read the whole story, see the April 22, 2026, edition of the Kittson County Enterprise