Please make a donation to the CROSS Center. Any amount is greatly appreciated.
320-
Cross Center of
Benton Co, MN
150 Fourth Ave.
P.O. Box 205
Foley, MN 56329
Mondays:
1pm-
Thursdays:
10am-
Frequent Questions and Answers
Who qualifies for food? Anyone in need who lives in Benton County.
What hours are you open? Mondays: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm, and 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm; Thursdays: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
What hours do you accept donations? Please only bring in donations during our open hours.
May I just leave the donation at the back? Please only make donations during open hours. Please do not leave donations anywhere outside the buildings.
How much food do families get? The amount of food is determined by the size of the family and the food we have on hand at the time. There are guides on the shelves that tell the amount for the size family.
What holidays/days are you closed? The CROSS Center will normally be closed on these days: Memorial Day, Foley Fun Days – Monday, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day, New Year's Eve and Day. But on any holiday, please call to find out if we will be open.
Do you give out holiday food baskets? No, but when we can we give out extra meat for the holidays. Using the “client choice” method of distribution we can offer a variety of foods and often during the holidays we get donations of some of the holiday type food that we can offer, such as cranberry sauce during Thanksgiving/Christmas and etc..
When do you give out the school supplies? We give out school supplies during the month of August to children of current clients who are going to Foley Schools.
Do you need donations of School Supplies? Yes, school supply and backpack donations are accepted all year.
What other resources do you have besides food? We have used clothing and household
items that are for anyone who has need of them and they are all free. We also share
information about other services in the area as needed.
How much clothing and household items may can a customer take? There is no limit;
we expect the customer to just take what they need.
Why does CROSS have a Board? Because we are a non-
What does the CROSS Board do? The Board is actually the “Boss” for CROSS; they
run the organization. They are the ones who have to make the hard decisions, whatever
that maybe, and over see the organization.
How often do they meet? The Board is scheduled to meet 6 times a year. Sometimes
when there are things that need immediate attention they will have extra special
meetings.
What do they do at the meeting? They have an agenda, which will include the Treasure's
report, Secretary minutes from the last meeting, and a Coordinator's report that
all have to be read and approved by the board. They will then move on to New business
and act on whatever is pending at that meeting.
Who are the board members? All of our Board members are representatives of area
Churches. The area Churches are the main support of CROSS. Board Members then are
the “roots” reaching out to the Church which is the foundation that CROSS was built
on. The members bring back to their Church any needs or concerns that are at CROSS
and they provide CROSS the support the Church has to offer.
How could I be a board member? You could approach your church leaders and ask to
be a representative for your church on the CROSS Board. Your membership would be
approved by the CROSS Board.
What hours are you open? The CROSS Center is open on Mondays, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.; Thursdays, 10:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. The food shelf and the clothing/ housewares area are both open during the same hours.
What hours do you accept donations? CROSS receives donations during the open hours.
May I just leave the donation at the back? Please only make donations during open
hours. Please do not leave donations anywhere outside the buildings.
What holidays/days are you closed? The CROSS Center will normally be closed on these days: Memorial Day, Foley Fun Days – Monday, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day, New Year's Eve and Day. But on any holiday, please call to find out if we will be open.
Are you closed on any other days? Yes, when the Foley schools are closed BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER, CROSS will be closed also.
Does CROSS accept donations of local garden produce? Yes! We welcome garden produce.
How can we have a food drive for the CROSS Center? Anyone can have a food drive
for the CROSS Center. All you really need is a central place to collect the donations
and then advertise the food drive. If you collect a lot of food we would like you
to give us a call before you bring it in so we are able to handle the volume.
Why would anyone have a food drive in the community if you can get more for the dollar
at the food bank? Wouldn't you rather have money? Every donated dollar is able
to purchase about $10 of food. However, there are advantages of a food drive too.
The food bank does not always have everything available to meet client needs.
How do you purchase food at the Food Bank? Can anyone buy food there? The food bank is created just for food programs, so individuals are not able to purchase food there.
Where is the Food Bank? Do you have to go get the food? The Food Bank where our food comes from is in St. Paul. The food is trucked to us in a big truck, twice a month.
When do you take food donations? We take food donations during our open hours, or
by special arrangements. If there is a large amount of food, then we would ask you
to call ahead so we will be able to handle the volume. CROSS is open on Mondays 1-
Does CROSS give away all the food? Is it really free? Yes, it is all free to anyone in need.
How does the food rescue program work? Locally, at CROSS, the food rescue program is a partnership with Coborns grocery in Foley. Food that would have to be thrown away because it can no longer be sold is boxed up for CROSS.
Who is Second Harvest? Second Harvest is one of the food banks in Minnesota. Second Harvest Heartland’s mission is to end hunger through community partnerships. Second Harvest Heartland distributes more than 51 million pounds of food and grocery products annually to nearly 1,000 food shelves, soup kitchens, shelters and programs in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin.
What is Hunger Solutions? Hunger Solutions Minnesota is a comprehensive hunger relief organization that works to end hunger in Minnesota. They take action to assure food security for all Minnesotans by supporting agencies that provide food to those in need, advancing sound public policy, and guiding grassroots advocacy.
Who qualifies for food at CROSS? Anyone in need who lives in Benton County.
How much food do families get? The amount of food is determined by the size of the family and the food we have on hand at the time. There are guides on the shelves that tell the amount for the size family.
How often can a family come to the food shelf? Once a month to get the full food shelf service. We also provide extra fresh vegetables, fruit, milk and bread between monthly visits.
How often may I come to the CROSS food shelf? Once a month to get the full food shelf service. We also provide extra fresh vegetables, fruit, milk and bread between monthly visits.
Who qualifies for food? Anyone in need who lives in Benton County.
Can someone else pick up my food for me because I'm sick.... etc..? Yes, but you must send with them a signed and dated note telling us that you want this person to pick up your food for you.
What happens when I come to the CROSS Center food shelf for the first time? We will do some paper work: asking your name, and the names and ages of each person in your household, your current address, phone numbers if you have a phone, gender and ethnicity information. You will also complete a food request sheet, selecting what food items you would like from those currently available. A volunteer will then fulfill your food request and call your name when it is ready.
Why do you need to know my race/ethnicity? Some foundations where we could qualify to receive grants, want to know what segments of the population we serve. That is also the reason we ask for the ages of everyone in the household.
What happens to the personal information when the CROSS intake person asks it? The information is stored in a file and is not shared with the public. Besides any necessary information for providing food service, the information collected is also used to apply for grants. All information is deidentified to protect your identity.
What do I have to bring with me on my first visit to the food shelf? You do not
need to bring anything special to sign-
Do I have to go through all that paper work each time I come? No, only when you come for the first time and beginning in January of each year, the first visit of that year.
What is a household? Those that live and regularly eat together, household members need not be related.
My brother has to stay with me until he finds a job. May I add him to my household and get food for him too? Or should he come separate? He would be add him as a temporary member of your household.
My children are with me on weekends, may I include them in my household to get food for them? Usually not, but if you were the main provider for those children, then you would include them.
If I go to the food shelf in this small town, everyone will know about it. What if I see someone there who knows me? Confidentiality is important to everyone. The CROSS volunteers dp not share any information about clients or who they see at CROSS. If someone sees you at the CROSS Center, it really is not any of their business why you are there. Our purpose is to help folks over that bump in the road. Most of us have a time like that sometime in our lives, where we just need a little help for a while, to get back on our feet. It is an intelligent decision to accept a little assistance now to help families recover faster.
How will I be treated at the CROSS Center? The goal of the volunteers is to treat the clients with respect and as you would a friend. We want to be cheerful and helpful, treating everyone the same.
Do you have diapers? Sometimes we do, it depends on if they are donated. We are seldom offered diapers at the food bank.
Can persons with disabilities use your services? Yes, the building is handicapped accessible. If you are concerned about any part of using our services, please call us and discuss your concerns with us.
I am using your food shelf, it has been such a blessing to our family and we would like to do something in return. May I volunteer at CROSS? Please contact us to discuss your desire to volunteer.
How do I qualify to use the clothing service? Anyone who needs clothes or household items may take whatever they can use, at no charge.
Where do the clothes come from? Individuals in the community donate clothes and household items to CROSS. Volunteers sort and hang the items out for display.
ORGANIZATION:
Is CROSS a non-
Is CROSS a religious organization? CROSS stands for “Christians Reaching Out in Social Service”. Board members are representatives of area Churches. Area Churches are a big support to CROSS. That is as close as CROSS gets to being a religious organization. We do not ask about religious affiliation and do not promote any religion.
How long has the CROSS Center existed? The CROSS of Benton County was organized in 1982.
It looks like everything that is offered at CROSS is free. How can that be? Who pays for it? Yes, all of our services are offered at no cost. The CROSS Center is depended completely on donations and grants. CROSS needs fund raisers to help support the program. Any help with fund raisers would be greatly appreciated.
Do you have a budget? Yes.
Who pays the bills? Do you have an accountant? CROSS board has a treasurer who keeps track of the finances and pays the bills. We have an accountant who helps us file the 990 statement each year. We have a committee of professionals who conduct an audit each year.
What are the expenses? Monthly bills for utilities (heat, AC, electric), food, water (we pay double the minimum because we have two meters), telephone, internet, garbage service, and normal office expenses.
Why can’t you take furniture? It takes a lot of room to store furniture; we would need a warehouse. We can put notices on the bulletin board about any furniture that you would like to give away.
Do you really need all that building space? Yes, the donation of all the buildings has been a real blessing. Never would we be able to provide the services to so many people in that old space.
Do you need any more volunteers? We always seem to have a need for more volunteers.
We have 3 shifts: Monday 1-
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