About
The Princeton Pantry
The History of the Pantry & our dedicated Staff.
History of the Princeton Pantry
Original clipping of The Pantry's dedication announcement 1981
Original clipping of The Pantry's dedication announcement 1981
Volunteer Director Phyllis Lee checking
the shelves of canned goods at The Princeton Pantry.
Volunteer Director Phyllis Lee checking the shelves of canned goods at The Princeton Pantry.
Princeton Pantry
Coordinator Anna Atwood and
her husband Lloyd carried containers into the new location at the depot civic center. April 1987
Princeton Pantry Coordinator Anna Atwood and her husband Lloyd carried containers into the new location at the depot civic center.
April 1987
Image taken
from the Mille Lacs
County Depot
Image taken from the Mille Lacs County Depot
Princeton Pantry
Coordinator Anna
Atwood & board
member Bill
George
showed gratitude when
Richard Schneider,
chief executive
officer of the
bank, gave the
two a check
for $2,500 from
the bank & $500
from himself for The Princeton Pantry.
Princeton Pantry Coordinator Anna Atwood & board member Bill George showed gratitude when Richard Schneider, chief executive officer of the bank, gave the two a check for $2,500 from the bank & $500 from himself for The Princeton Pantry.
Newspaper
Clipping from
May 1998
featuring
Coordinator
Shirley Hines
as
she seeks a
new site for Princeton Pantry
Newspaper Clipping from May 1998 featuring Coordinator Shirley Hines as she seeks a new site for Princeton Pantry
Newspaper
Clipping from
May 8th 1999
when The
Pantry moved to the
6th St Location
Newspaper Clipping from May 8th 1999 when The Pantry moved to the 6th St Location
6th Street Location
When it became evident that a larger space was needed, the City of Princeton offered a rent-free room at the Historical Mille Lacs County Depot building. It was much larger than what was used at the church, and The Pantry operated from that location for the next 15 years. Over time that location became too small to meet the community's needs. A Union Times article from May 21, 1998 covered a significant meeting of The Pantry with the city council where Shirley Hines outlined the critical need for expansion.
The Pantry fund drive began shortly after, which eventually raised money to purchase The Pantry's own building in the city lot at 104 6th Street in May of 1999. A large portion of donations would come from Spencer Brook United Methodist Church in Princeton. A benefactor gave the church a large sum to distribute. The church offered $20,000 to The Pantry if they could match the amount.
With the amount matched through donations, The Pantry was able to purchase the building located at 104 6th Ave. S. This location was five times larger than the depot location. The Princeton Pantry stayed at this address for 15 years.
In partnership with Second Harvest, The Pantry established a second location dedicated to food reclamation from local groceries, quick markets, & restaurants. The "First Street Location," as it would be called, was run by Shirley Hines. Although it was just around the corner from the Sixth Street Pantry Location, two separate staffs were needed to run both locations. In 2005, Joyce Neumann was hired to run the Sixth Street Pantry.
In the summer of 2025, it became necessary to remove the Sixth Street Location due to the rising costs needed to get the building up to code. The Pantry moved and combined with the Reclamation Center at the 120 North Rum River Drive Location in the Riverside Plaza.
This change required dramatic changes in the process of The Pantry's operation. In July of 2025, Jennifer Folkema was hired as Executive Director of the new consolidated facility.
Special Thanks
Pastor Bob Hasinfelt
Pastor Bob Hasinfelt served as president of the Princeton Pantry for over 40 years. His work and dedication have become synonymous with the success and generosity of the Princeton community, especially when it comes to supporting the food needs of families and individuals.
[name]
Princeton Pantry Executive Director
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Executive Pantry Board
Lisa Fobbe
Chair
DeNice Janssen
Vice Chair
Julie Schoen
Secretary
Deb Ulm
Treasurer
Michael Lanegran
Member at Large
Additional Pantry Board Members
Bonni Belair
Denise Bjorke
James Dehn
Randy Hatch
Verna Jenson