Food Shelf

Very friendly and got my friend in for an emergency appt.
8 years ago (30-10-2017)

I started out using the Hinckley foodshelf which was well maintained, clean, rotten food was sorted carefully and thrown away, the workers and volunteers were kind and made me feel welcomed. Since I was transferred to Pine City I've had the opposite experience, it's been extremely disappointing. Some members of the staff seem annoyed that Hinckley clients were transferred there, even months after the transition took place. The Pine City clients I've witnessed were treated with more respect, kindness and allowed to choose food that was in better shape than I have been allowed, including being given brand name food items and produce kept in the back of the foodshelf that's in better condition. I feel I'm being discriminated against when I go there and the woman with long blond hair makes rude faces that show she looks down upon me, unless that's just how she looks. She has never smiled at me. Seventy percent of communication is non-verbal and it shows. This leads me to the quality of their food. To be fair, some of the food has been in good condition but a fair amount that I've been able to choose from has been rotten, too freezer burnt to taste what it's supposed to taste like or expired. Each time I've gone there I've had to throw away a good portion of the food I've come home with. In Hinckley, food that was past the expiration date was put on the expired shelf, period. The food in Pine City also brings home an unsavory unsanitary smell that can linger in my home for up to three days. The floors in Pine City seem to be pretty clean so I can only imagine the smell is from rotting produce. I don't believe P.C. would have as much waste related to rotting produce if they put out fresh produce for their clients to take. Another issue they have is that they're often booked up over a month in advance so that even if I wanted to shop each month, it's unlikely I would be able to attend 12 times out of the year. Maybe their upper management needs to hire more people or someone to help with organization so that more than one person can go in at a time. It's a foodshelf, not a Gynecologist office, and everyone is there for the same reason. There is no reason to feel ashamed of going to a foodshelf when Pine County is in the top three poorest county's in MN, again unless there is discrimination going on. I don't normally complain about things like this, in fact, I'm one of those people who enjoys telling bosses what a great job an employee or employees have done that have worked with me and a couple of workers at the Pine City food shelf fall into this category as well. Great job to them! I believe I haven't been to the food shelf since December because I'm so disappointed and turned off by the many things about it. I sincerely hope that some of these concerns will be addressed and that one day the Pine City foodshelf will meet the standards that Hinckley had, especially when it comes to offering their clients fresh produce rather than rotten or nearly rotten produce.
8 years ago (01-04-2017)

Everyone at the food shelf is very kind I am so thankful that the food shelf is there
8 years ago (06-07-2017)

Great friendly service and awesome selection
8 years ago (07-08-2017)

I had lots of choices.
8 years ago (02-10-2017)