Farm Bureau members bring farm to city
By Janet Kubat Willette
jkubat@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 06/23/2011 8:55 AM
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ROCHESTER, Minn. — A group of southeastern Minnesota farmers and farm supporters brought a little taste of the farm to the Ronald McDonald House last week.
This is June Dairy Month, but families staying at the Ronald McDonald House are unable to come to Breakfast on the Farm events, said Ruth Meirick, southeast area program director for Minnesota Farm Bureau. Instead, Farm Bureau members from eight southeastern Minnesota counties brought a few Breakfast on the Farm events to the house in downtown Rochester June 8 for an Ag-stravaganza.
Farm Bureau members and Olmsted County dairy princesses Theresa Twohey and Kelsey Petit helped people staying at the Ronald McDonald House make their own butter by shaking whipped cream in jars. They also told them just what to do to get milk from the wood cow with udder brought in especially for the evening event.
After an hour or so of activities outside, it was time to come in for a meal served by farmers.
Meirick said the faces behind the counter holding the serving spoons belong to the people who grow the food. Everything served is grown in Minnesota, she said. There was roast beef, applesauce, buns, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, cheese and ice cream. The cheese was courtesy of AMPI. The butter was made fresh that evening by people staying at the house.
Justin Shelton, 17, of Anna, Texas, made butter and found out it tasted a lot better with salt than without. It was a fun event, he said, and the meal was good.
Shelton has been at the Ronald McDonald House since April when he came to Mayo for treatment of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. He left for home Sunday.
He has been involved in agriculture through his high school, where he has done chores on the school farm caring for pigs, horses, cows, heifers and chickens. He hopes to resume that activity when he's back home.
About 25 volunteers from Farm Bureau and other ag groups helped serve the meal and with outside activities. They also made a donation of $1,200 to the Ronald McDonald House for them to use to purchase dairy, beef and pork. The money came from private donors and Farm Bureaus in southeastern Minnesota.
Maggie Schoepski, community development director for the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester, described the donation as amazing. The house rarely has the opportunity to provide food to families. The food may be used for a cookout or other special event to build community within the families staying in the house.
The house has room for 42 families each night and there's always a waiting list, Schoepski said. All the families have a member under the age of 18 undergoing treatment at Mayo. Families come from all over to stay at the house, including southern Minnesota, northern Iowa and western Wisconsin.
On Wednesday and Sunday nights, community groups often bring in meals, as Farm Bureau did last week. The meals are appreciated, Schoepski said, because it gives families a chance to have a break, a chance to sit down and talk to other families or a chance to talk to community members about something as routine as the weather. It's a nice break from medical appoints, she said.
"The Farm Bureaus been so generous for so many years with their Food Checkout Day," Schoepski said. Farm Bureau annually makes a Ronald McDonald House donation on the day, which marks the day the average American has earned enough to pay for their food for the year.
Now, they've become involved in a hands on way. Schoepski said they at the Ronald McDonald House value their partnership.
The Farm Bureau's impact didn't end with the visit.
They left a book bundle, 22 books about different aspects of agriculture, for the house library and bags filled with ag-related materials for residents.