Future of Cook County Ruby’s Pantry remains unknown

The year began with a warning to Cook County residents that the area was at risk of losing access to Ruby’s Pantry, a rural food distribution program. Local Ruby’s organizers put the call out to the community, and while participation in January was strong, Volunteer Coordinator Carol Stender told WTIP that there are still questions about the future.

Ruby’s Pantry operates by collecting surpluses from food producers, and delivering them to rural communities in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Area residents can buy a “share” of the food delivered to their community. The cost of a share, currently $25 in Cook County, helps cover the transportation cost for the food. According to their website, the organization distributed 34 million pounds of food in 2024.

While local volunteers manage the distribution and dividing the delivered food into shares, they have little control over what Ruby’s Pantry patrons take home. Stender said the local group tells Ruby’s how many shares to send, but the items included in each share depend on what products are available, and local volunteers do not control what food is sent.

The uncertainty about the future of Ruby’s Pantry lies in how many shares are sold in Cook County each month. Stender explained that Ruby’s will only send a truckload of food if a minimum number of shares is ordered. For 2025, that minimum will be 168. Though exceptions have been made in the past, according to Stender, that is not likely to continue.

“We know that Ruby‘s will not continue providing less than the minimum due to the cost involved with sending a semi truck each month,” she said.

In January Ruby’s Pantry allowed the local organizers to order just 144 shares, but based on an overall decline in participation over the past few years, it was unsure whether they could sell them all. After an article on Boreal.org and a push on social media, there was a robust turnout, and Stender said that they not only distributed all 144 shares, but turned away about a dozen people. She said in February they will order more.

Looking forward

While January saw strong participation, the organizers do not want to simply order more shares, just for them to end up not being picked up.

“Please understand that it is not easy to distribute leftover food,” Stender said. “It is also costly to give away shares that are not purchased. But we risk getting cut off if our orders continue under the minimum.”

While overall community participation in Ruby’s has seen a decline, food access is still a major problem in Cook County. According to Public Health Supervisor Grace Grinager, about 1 in 10 Cook County residents experiences food insecurity.

In a recent WTIP interview she said county residents rely on a variety of food access services. On that subject, Stender said, “Second Harvest provides shelf-stable and some fresh food for the UCC food shelf and fresh food once per month to [Grand] Portage and the Community Center. The fresh food is limited to 5 or so items per month. These two food sources are inadequate for the need in Cook County.”

Susie Ecklund helps distribute Ruby’s Pantry gift certificates to residents of the Birchwood Apartments. She said the county asked her to assist with passing out the vouchers to her neighbors during the COVID-19 lockdown, and she’d been doing it ever since. The gift certificates are funded, according to Stender, by donations from individuals and local non-profits.

Ecklund said she knows of 14 families in the Birchwood complex, which is comprised of 24 units, who use Ruby’s Pantry regularly. She said the rising cost of groceries is causing additional stress for those who use the service.

“There’s a lot of panic going on that Ruby’s might stop, especially now with the cost of everything,” she said. Ecklund added that some residents have requested extra vouchers from her in order to stock up on extra food.

Ecklund said she hopes the program will continue, and understands the concern some people are feeling over the potential that it will end. If Ruby’s does discontinue service to Cook County, she said, “It will put people under so much more pressure than they’re already under to feed their families.”

The next Ruby’s Pantry distribution event will take place on Feb. 11. from 5-6:30 p.m.. More details can be found on the Cook County Ruby’s Pantry Facebook page.

Kirsten Wisniewski February 6, 2025