By Lori Ehde
Nearly 20 years ago, Luverne’s Lona Klosterbuer took a call at home from Ione Bush at Rock County Family Services. She wanted to know if Klosterbuer could do some Christmas shopping for a local family who needed some help.
Bush had received an anonymous cash donation at the office to be used for that purpose, and Klosterbuer remembers taking that envelope of cash around town and seeing how much she could buy with it.
"I never knew who gave her my name," Klosterbuer said. "I guess someone must have thought I’d have some time to do that."
As it turns out, Bush picked a good errand runner, because Klosterbuer has been taking lists and running errands every December since then. "Little did I know …" she said.
It was the start of what is now a Christmas charity tradition in Rock County that serves hundreds of families with thousands of dollars in donated cash and items.
A system of caring
In the early years it didn’t have a name, but it was the start of Sharing Hearts Are Helping Everyone, or SHARE.
By definition, SHARE Inc. "is a program whose purpose is to administer, by means of volunteers, the collection of donations and distribution of Christmas gifts and food to persons in Rock County."
Last year, SHARE provided 121 families, consisting of 176 adults and 175 children, with groceries, clothing and toys. An undetermined number of persons benefited from clothing and other items from used and new tables at the Luverne Armory, where donations are distributed annually.
The program is uniquely Rock County’s and it helps Rock County’s own. "All of the money is spent here and it all stays here," said Mary Tilstra, another long-time volunteer.
"If every county in the United States took care of its own, everyone would have something at Christmas."
In the months following Klosterbuer’s first shopping trip, Family Services staff kept their eyes open for additional local people who might need extra help, and accepted donations from local people who wanted to help out these families.
Tilstra joined the effort in 1985 and recalls an early grocery shopping experience with Klosterbuer.
"Ione gave us $300 cash to buy groceries for 19 families," Tilstra said, "and we jumped into Lona’s little car and drove to Kenny’s Super Foods."
The carts filled up with fruits, vegetables, meats and other perishables not typically available at the local food shelf.
"We had no system whatsoever," Lona said. "We just had our cash and a couple of carts and headed down the aisle."
The two women laugh when they recall their haphazard methods.
"Larry (Goebel) opened a register for us and we kept asking how much money we had left to spend," Tilstra said. "And then, when we were done, there was this huge pile of groceries, and all we had was Lona’s little car."
As it turned out, Goebel delivered the goods (to Family Services) with the store van, and that was the start of his longtime involvement in the program as well.
"I still remember the apples and oranges rolling around the human services building as we tried to divvy up the grocery into 19 bags."
Well-ordered system
The women soon developed a system for taking and filling orders, not only for groceries, but for clothing, household supplies and gifts as well.
Today, families fill out forms that ask what they’re in need of (food, clothing, toys, etc.), the number of household members, and the age, gender and size of family members requesting specific items.
Former Family Services employee Norma Stewart is credited for coming up the name for SHARE, which incorporated in 1986.
"She told me years ago that she had a dream of coming up with a good system of helping needy people at Christmas time," Klosterbuer said. "And she wanted to call it SHARE."
The point of the program would be to provide things not typically covered by welfare and for families that may not qualify for welfare.
SHARE offered something extra for the holidays.
"Ione knew there were these people who needed help but who fell through the cracks, and there were all these people who wanted to help," Tilstra said.
She said SHARE especially mobilized in 1987, with the help from Del Brakke,who retired that year from Family Services. Brakke had an inside track to the families who needed help, and was able to connect SHARE resources where they were needed most.
At its peak, SHARE served 550 people in 1991, but the average number of people helped through the years is 350.
Strong core of volunteers
The volunteer board now includes 12 people, and those core members enlist help from their spouses and anyone willing to lend a hand.
Many of today’s volunteers are the same ones who helped start the program 20 years ago.
It’s often stressful work to match needy families with an adequate amount of donated cash and items and to get it all distributed in an orderly manner.
"We’re so relieved at that point," Klosterbuer said. "I’d go home and bawl sometimes, it was so stressful."
"We prepare for months, and then it all goes out the door in about an hour," Tilstra said.
But there’s a reason they continue to do it year after year: for the personal rewards of seeing families benefit from their efforts.
"I remember one year we had all these donated Pound Puppies, and some little kid came along and saw a Pound Puppy sticking out of a bag. He was so tickled to get that Pound Puppy," Klosterbuer said.
Tilstra remembers the year Dayton’s donated Santa Bears. "I remember a little kid came along and hugged the bear through the bag," Tilstra said.
To donate to SHARE:
Drop off items from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, and from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, at the Luverne Armory on South Freeman Avenue.
Items needed include new and used clothing (only seasonal items), toys and household items. Prior approval is required for donations of large household items or large appliances.
Do NOT wrap either new or used gifts.
Cash donations can be mailed any time of year to SHARE, P.O. Box 792, Luverne, MN, 56156.
Distribution will be from noon to 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16, at the Luverne Armory.
The form must be completed and mailed by Dec. 7 to SHARE, P.O. Box 792, Luverne, MN, 56156.
For information call 283-4310 or 283-2810.