After a lot of hard work, the Clearwater/Clear Lake Food Shelf is now an official landowner after purchasing an acre of land from Rejoice Lutheran Church along Co. Road 75.

The new property is across the road from where the food shelf currently operates, the Lions Community Building in Lions Park. The Clearwater/Clear Lake Food Shelf Board and Rejoice land sale committee worked together to make the sale happen.

The purchase was made possible due to individual and organization donations. The Clearwater Lions donated $25,000 to the effort earlier this year and other entities in the process either donated or reduced their fees, including the City of Clearwater, Bogart Pederson, Cindy Heaton with Preferred Title, Paul Konsor with Established Real Estate, and Lynne Crandall with Premiere Real Estate.

“It’s been a community effort,” said Paul Amundson, Rejoice Land Sale Committee member. “So many people have come forward to help with it.”

Although it’s a ways down the road yet, the ultimate goal is to move the food shelf out of the Lions Building entirely and build a new food shelf building on the recently acquired property. 

For anyone in need, the Clearwater-Clear Lake Food Shelf is located in the Lions Community Building under the Clearwater water tower at 1100 Co. Road 75. Hours of operation are Mondays 5:30 to 7 p.m., Tuesdays 9 to 11 a.m. and 6 to 8 p.m., and Wednesdays 3 to 5 p.m.