St. Vincent de Paul Outreach Receives 14,000 Pounds of Carrots

Large Donation Distributed to Area Pantries

Marshfield, WI (OnFocus) St. Vincent de Paul Outreach is still making its way through eight and half pallets of carrots taken in last Friday, a total of 14,000 pounds.

The rejected order of carrots was purchased by a local business owner and then donated to the food pantry. Since the pantry wasn’t able to store all of the carrots, Nasonville Dairy stepped in to provide storage. To prevent the carrots from going to waste, Outreach has since distributed them to other local pantries as well as those in Plover, Wausau, and even Wautoma.

“They’ve all come and taken pallets, just trying to get them distributed because they’re nice and fresh, and there’s so many things you can do with carrots,” said Deb Steltenpohl, Director of Outreach Services.

The pantry still has about 2.5 pallets left of baby, whole, and shredded carrots, and welcomes those who can use them to stop by Outreach. The carrots, meant for human use, are available in the Outreach hallway or at the food pantry.

“I know families that have come and they take a good amount because they plan on canning some. That’s going to help them sustain their food,” said Steltenpohl. “We just don’t want them going to waste.”

Outreach periodically takes in large food orders that might be rejected upon delivery by grocers but are otherwise fine for use and helps to distribute them where needed. In January, St. Vincent took in 17,000 pounds of baby carrots that would likely otherwise have been sent to the landfill, providing a healthy option for those in need.

St. Vincent de Paul appreciates any size donation of produce from community members who have an excess amount in their gardens. The process is hassle-free with no form to sign.

“If they do have extra produce in their garden, we would gladly accept it and hand it out in our pantry or have it available in our hallway,” said Steltenpohl.

Outreach’s own garden, maintained by volunteers from Simplicity Credit Union, supplements its food pantry offerings and is also used for its twice-weekly Fellowship Meals.

Visit St. Vincent de Paul Outreach at 169 N. Central Ave.

St. Vincent de Paul Gets Green Thumb