A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
The Cloquet Salvation Army was one of three local food shelves that benefited from a recent promotion at Northwoods Credit Union. Pictured, from left, are Sue Butkiewicz with the Cloquet Salvation Army, Michelle Bertogliat, NCU director of lending, and NCU president Doug Wolf.
Northwoods Credit Union and its members raised more than $9,000 for area food shelves through its latest loan promotion. The loan promotion offered up to 1 percent cash back to members on new loans. If members chose to donate part of their 1 percent to the local food shelf, Northwoods CU matched the funds up to $50 per donation. These donations totaled $9,867 and were given to the Cloquet Salvation Army, the Floodwood Area Food Shelf and the Moose Lake Area Food Shelf.
"We've worked with area food shelves throughout the years, typically during the holidays. We kept hearing how much they appreciated our help at that time but they also needed people to remember there were still needs after the holidays - that's when it seems the food shelves really struggle to keep up with demand, " said Doug Wolf, Northwoods president and CEO. "Our members stepped up and filled part of that need for all three of our local food shelves, and we couldn't be happier to match these funds."
Sue Butkiewicz with the Cloquet Salvation Army said the donation will help a lot.
"We have such a need right now, especially with Covid," Butkiewicz said. "Some people I've talked to think that the Salvation Army here in Cloquet is no longer open. We closed the thrift store, but our food shelf and service unit are still open. If people need help or know someone that needs help, please come see us. And thank you to Northwoods Credit Union and to all of their members."
The Salvation Army food shelf is open every Tuesday 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-2:30 p.m. It's a drive-thru service for now: pull up, and get a box of food, plus meat and bakery products, at no charge. Call 651-746-3407 to find out more about the different Salvation Army programs to help people in need.
"The Credit Union motto is 'People Helping People' and our members have proved through this promotion that we are all in this together," Wolf said.
Beware food shelf scam
An unidentified person contacted a local food shelf client recently, asking for their social security number, according to the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency. The person falsely claimed to be a representative from a food shelf. No client is required or expected to provide personal information over the phone for food shelf programs.
For your protection, do not provide your Social Security number to any caller claiming to be a food shelf representative or any other caller. AEOA is working with law enforcement regarding the incident. Contact the police right away if you have been or are contacted in a similar manner.
