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Monday, October 14, 2024
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Music to Feed the Soul – Raising Support for the Two Harbors Area Food Shelf

The Two Harbors Area Food Shelf (THAFS) is a valuable resource to many families in the area. In 2022 alone, the food shelf distributed over 146,000 pounds of food and had 1,708 visits. 383 different area households were served, 28% of those household members be­ing under 18 years old. THAFS gave out 200 turkeys for Thanksgiving and 120 hams for Christmas to families in need. Visits to the food shelf were up 45% in 2022, and 65% of food shelf users are from Two Harbors. Area businesses such as SuperOne, Kwik Trip, and Bending Birches Greenhouse helped to sup­port the food shelf with over 45,000 pounds of food, but more help is still needed.

That’s where Music to Feed the Soul comes into play. A concert by a collaboration of lo­cal musical groups, Music to Feed the Soul asks for a freewill offering in exchange for an afternoon of music. 2023’s performance, held on April 2nd at the United Church in Two Harbors, had nine acts.

The Two Harbors Ukulele Group (T.H.U.G.) opened the afternoon with a variety of pop­ular tunes, including the Flintstones theme. T.H.U.G. features a variety of ukulele sizes and styles, not just the widely-known sopra­no ukulele.

Katya Gordon and her father, Dan Goode­nough, on voice, violin, and guitar, followed T.H.U.G. Gordon and Goodenough have been “playing gospel and folk songs together since Katya was old enough to sing a tune.”

Recently, a fiddle jam has begun meeting at the Two Harbors Public Library. Led by Carla Manning and dubbed the “North Shore Fid­dling Friends”, the group features fiddlers, as well as other acoustic strings and percussion. The North Shore Fiddling Friends performed “Tennessee Waltz” and “Red-Haired Boy.”

G3nerations, a folk music band, had the next act. They have played at Music to Feed the Soul in the past, and were excited to wel­come some new members this year.

Lighthouse Lyrics, a new women’s acapella group featuring Beth Alexander, Meghan Ca­vallin, and Katya Gordon, made their debut at Music to Feed the Soul this year. They are looking for more wom­en to join their group.

Musician, singer, songwriter, piano tun­er, and pilot Jerry “En­gine” Anderson per­formed two original folk-style songs. His original style and lyr­ical winter blues piece generated chuckles throughout the audi­ence. Anderson was followed by guitarists and vocalists Scott Radke and Bonnie Hundrieser, with Rad­ke playing harmonica on their second song.

Tracy Parks, a pianist and vocalist, played two pieces, and the af­ternoon was closed out by Paul and Mary Kay Dahlin and Al Ander­son.

Paul Dahlin plays Swedish fiddle and has played for the Prai­rie Home Companion and the king of Swe­den. Mary Kay Dahlin played the zither and the double bass, and Al Anderson played the Waldzither, a German instrument. Anderson’s Waldzither dates from the 1920s or 30s.

The Two Harbors Area Food Shelf is grate­ful for the support shown by the community. You can support the food shelf through mon­etary donations, donations of non-perishable food items, or by volunteering. In 2022, over 40 regular volunteers donated over 2,000 hours of their time and energy. Volunteers fill many roles, among which include: food pack­ing, truck unloading and food sorting, food rescue, serving on the food shelf board, and website support. Interested volunteers can contact Kelsey at 218-391-8191 or kelsey@thfoodshelf.org .

Area residents are welcome to visit the Two Harbors Area Food Shelf, with no financial qualification requirements. THAFS is open for drive-through distribution on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. and for inside shop­ping on the second Thursday of each month from 3-6 p.m.

Haley Searls
Haley Searls
Hello! My name is Haley Searls. I’ve loved writing from an early age, though my nonfiction writing at five years old consisted mainly of weather and gardening reports. I still have some of those early articles: “It’s sunny.” “It’s still sunny.” “It’s raining.” I’m glad to say my writing has improved since then. I wrote a guest post for the Silver Bay Public Library blog, and was the writer/editor of the newsletter for my American Heritage Girls troop. I have been writing for the North Shore Journal since June 2022. Besides writing, I love reading, drawing, photography, music, and spending time with family and friends. Two books that have really influenced my writing are Reforming Journalism by Marvin Olasky and Writer to Writer by Bodie and Brock Thoene. As a journalist, I want to share positive community interactions and inspire people to make lasting connections. Article topics that interest me are ones which show community activities and involvement. Such articles include community events, youth accomplishments, library programming, small businesses, local history, local artists and authors, art programs, and cultural events such as theater and dance. If you have an article idea, email the North Shore Journal with my name in the subject line! I look forward to hearing from you!
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