 Any money or food donated to food shelves around the state starting today until the end of the month will have an even greater reach. As Mal Meyer reports, the annual Minnesota Food Share March campaign is looking to bring in more for those in need. The Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches solicits donations from a variety of sources to partially match this month's contributions to 300 pantries statewide. Based on their size and how much they were able to bring in, the Bemidji Community Food Shelf received a 10% match last year. Our match was about $10,000, so that's very significant for us. While food donations are greatly appreciated, the majority of the site's food is purchased. Every dollar they receive can buy roughly four meals. This is a large facility, we serve a lot of people, and we simply can't rely only on food donations. They need to keep the shelves stocked for the 70 families who come by each day relying on the resource to get by. At least for the next few days, the family's going to have a full meal. The campaign comes at a critical time for the food shelf. June will be the busiest month when the food pantry season increase in clients. When kids are out of school, suddenly families are having to feed all the kids three meals a day instead of just one or two. Food donations don't increase as well. Mitchell says that people tend to think about hunger the most during the cold months, not necessarily during the summer. While many people help out in a variety of ways, especially now the food shelf is looking for additional help. There's a significant need in this city and county, and the food shelf makes a great difference in the lives of many people. In Bemidji, I'm Elmire, Lakeland News. And to benefit the Bemidji location, sleigh rides in exchange for monetary and food donations will be given at the Beltrami County Fairgrounds this Sunday from one to four in the afternoon. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.