Our Services
Food Pantry
No one should go hungry. No one.
That’s why The Link Board decided to open a Food Pantry in New London to “fill the gap” left when the Willmar Area Food Shelf closed its New London location in August 2016. Since then, The Link has experienced a steady stream of people from the community requesting food.
Transportation to other local food shelves, for some, is difficult, impossible or creates a cost burden. If we have people in the community struggling to afford the cost of food, they are likely struggling to fill their gas tank as well.
In addition, a family’s food needs often exceed the 2-3 day food allotment provided by other local food shelves — the Food Pantry will play a complementary role in addition to “filling the gap.”
The Food Pantry is serving an average of 140 households each month.
Anyone is welcome to utilize The Food Pantry. The Link Board and staff stress that “Hunger doesn’t have a zip code”. Individuals, Couples, Families and Seniors can utilize The Food Pantry once a month (and as needed for shelf items and food rescue options).
The Link’s Food Pantry partners with Second Harvest Heartland’s Food Bank. For every $1 donated, The Link can purchase $10 in food.
Monetary Donations:
In person – The Link 20 Central Avenue East New London, MN 56273
By mail – The Link PO Box 823 New London, MN 56273
Venmo @The-Link-1
Or
The Link also partners with Cash Wise and ALDI in Willmar for food rescue efforts. Each week, our dedicated volunteers pick up ‘soon to expire’ food from these locations and bring it to The Link for distribution to client’s. Some of these food items include: bakery items, milk, eggs, cheese, deli sandwiches and produce.
Food Donations (not expired) can be dropped off at The Link Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am-3pm. Non-perishable items can be dropped off at Teals in Spicer in their Food Pantry donation box in the entryway.
Hours
Tuesday – Thursday: 10 am – 3 pm
Otherwise by appointment
Wildcat Backpack Program
Helping to ensure all kids arrive at school fed & ready to learn.
During the school year, each child receives a backpack of food (about 5 pounds) for the weekend. Food items are healthy, easy to open and easy to prepare. They include: two entrees, two breakfast items, two snacks, two juice boxes a treat and a fruit. Participation in the program is voluntary and confidential.
Donations of all sizes are needed to support the program.
Sponsor a child for:
– $6 week
– $60 for ten weeks
– $234 for the school year
One in four students at the New London-Spicer Schools receives free/reduced-priced school meals. Each of these students is at-risk of hunger, especially over the weekend.
Client Services & Outreach Assistance
The Link is a “fill the gaps” organization.
The Client Services & Outreach Program provides information, referral, advocacy, and “fill the gap” assistance for people in need to meet their basic needs and support people as they strive to meet their goals.
Over the years, special projects have emerged, including:
The Link works with local churches and service groups to collect basic household and hygiene items to stock the Hope Care Pantry each spring.
Christmas Joy: The Link has been able to connect the generosity of community members with individuals and families struggling financially to have a joyful holiday season. Each year, The Link is able to connect the generosity of community members with families in need to receive Thanksgiving baskets and “Christmas Joy” (food and gifts.)
The Link 20 Central Avenue East New London, MN 56273
Hours
Tuesday – Thursday: 10 am – 3 pm
Otherwise by appointment
Tuesday’s Table
Providing food and fellowship
Locations:
1st Tuesday: Our Lady of The Lakes Catholic Church- Spicer
2nd Tuesday: Evangelical Covenant Church- New London
3rd Tuesday: Faith Lutheran Church- Spicer
4th Tuesday: Peace Lutheran Church- New London
5th Tuesday: Rotating. Please call Ashley for more information.
Tuesday’s Table is a weekly community meal focused on providing food and fellowship where relationships can flourish across socioeconomic lines and neighbors have the opportunity to serve one another. Tuesday’s Table is hosted at local churches and a business. Each week, over 25 volunteers plan, prepare and serve the meal. Since beginning in 2010, almost 60,000 meals have been provided. Everyone is welcome for food, friends, and fellowship!
Household Exchange
Providing for people in need
Basic household goods are donated to the Household Exchange and provided to people in need in the community. The goods include: linens, furniture, dishes, kitchenware and other basic necessities.
Hours
Tuesday – Thursday: 10 am – 3 pm
Otherwise by appointment
The Snack Pantry
The Link has partnered with NL-S Schools to provide snacks for students when they are at school.
There are studies out there that link struggles in school, often using math and reading as assessments, to food scarcity. There is even a study that linked poor standard test scores to when food benefits are released. Meaning, the scores drop if the test is taken in a time of the month when families are low on food.
The Snack Pantry has been a huge help to the students- as well as the teachers- ensuring ALL students are able to work at their fullest potential.
A message from Tracy and Ashley
Foster Stitches is a mission that we strongly believe in that was created to fill a void for the children in foster care that we serve in our community.
For those of you that know us, foster care is extremely near and dear to our hearts! Over the years of fostering dozens of children, we have noticed one sad and frustrating thing. For whatever reason these children enter your home, more often than not they come empty handed. So in 2016 a couple of us foster families came together and decided to reach out to our generous community and do something about it.
That was the birth of Foster Stitches.
With the help of The Willmar Area Women’s Fund and The Willmar Area Community Foundation, we are now in a wonderful space that gives us the opportunity to let these kiddos come in and "shop" for whatever they need or want off of a rack! We no longer have a limited space for donation collecting and we are so excited for this new change and the gift of expansion!
In March of 2024, Foster Stitches was absorbed by The Link as one of it’s programs to ensure the needs of foster families and children in their care continue to be met.
You may be wondering... What can I do to bless these children?
Foster Stitches is currently taking in gently used clothing in all sizes and monetary donations to help with the day to day expenses of running this program.
For more information on Foster Stitches, visit www.fosterstitches.org or find us on Facebook. You can also call The Link at 320-354-5465 or email director@youarethelink.org.
