Lakes Area Food Shelf: 45 years of service

June 2025

By Joel Haskard

When the Initiative Foundation partnered with Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) looking to help reduce energy costs with efficiency and/or solar, supporting a beloved community food shelf seemed like a natural fit.

Transforming to meet the need

Lakes Area Food Shelf (LAFS) has been serving the Brainerd Lakes area community for 45 years. Located in Pequot Lakes (pop. 2,395) the food shelf welcomes thousands of Minnesotans every year.

Back in 2022 they saw a spike in the number of shoppers, from 4,657 visitors in 2021 to 10,978 visitors in 2022. This matches a pattern across the state, where Minnesotans made 5,505,100 visits to food shelves in 2022, a record and 66% more than in 2021.

Responding to community need and feedback, in June of 2023, LAFS broke ground on a new 1,920-square foot expansion of its original building. The new space houses a Community Resource Hub and shares space with the food shelf. The expansion not only increased shopping and food warehouse space, but it also includes a private office space for direct service providers, a resource library, technology center with computers, and a conference room.

“The move extends LAFS’ efforts to feed those in need while addressing factors causing a spike in hunger in the Brainerd Lakes Region,” notes their newsletter explaining the project.

Larger space means larger bills…Or does it?

With the concern about how to reduce energy costs so that more dollars could be spent supplying food, LAFS teamed up with the Initiative Foundation and CERTs. The Initiative Foundation was able to support clean energy efforts at LAFS with a grant to help buy down some of the costs to install an air source heat pump.

“I recently spoke with (LAFS Director) Tammy Larsen and she is ecstatic,” shares Heidi Auel, Central CERT coordinator. “She noted that even though they did a big expansion, thanks to the air source heat pumps and additional insulation, the electric bills are barely over what they were paying for before.”

"We hope this work continues to inspire and ultimately serves more Minnesotans in need.”

– Heidi Auel, Central CERT coordinator

CERTs tags in

To encourage learning about the food shelf’s new technology, CERTs provided heat pump educational materials to LAFS shoppers. And there are more clean energy resources in the works.

“We are planning an October event with the Citizens Utility Board for LAFS customers to learn about energy savings and utility bill assistance, notes Auel. “We will share Energy Assistance and Weatherization information, and guide people through the forms and website, since they now have laptops and privacy rooms if needed right there at the food shelf.”

Plus, LAFS has received bids for a solar photovoltaic system and are now weighing their options.

“The Initiative Foundation partnered with CERTs to conduct preliminary solar design and cost-benefit analysis to help local leaders understand what their budget might look like,” says Elizabeth Mboutchom, Clean Energy & Community Resiliency program officer with the Initiative Foundation.

The outside of the Lakes Area Food Shelf.

An array of vegetables at the Lakes Area Food Shelf.

An air handling unit sits mounted on the wall inside the new food shelf space.

Projects like solar or air source heat pumps can not only be good for the environment, but good for the bottom line. They fit into the foundation’s programming to “support innovative projects that advance clean energy adoption, improve infrastructure resilience, and prepare communities for future energy challenges.”

“We could finance that difference so that partners captured long-term savings or even a revenue generating mechanism to support social missions like feeding the food insecure,” says Mboutchom. Always generous, LAFS is working to take what they have and share it with others.

“Tammy at LAFS is a great advocate,” says Auel. “She has been able to provide helpful knowledge to other facilities that are undergoing similar changes, such as the Hubbard Food Shelf in Detroit Lakes. We hope this work continues to inspire and ultimately serves more Minnesotans in need.”

Hometown Resource Center Director Tom Parlin

July 2022

Hometown Resource Center makes upgrades that result in more money for serving residents

April 2021

New lighting helps Hubbard County Food Shelf increase its impact

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