The Tiny Shelf: Stories from Beyond Division Street

27 November 2023
Whiteboard with Spanish and English writing Welcome at the Northfield Community Education Center (NCEC) Food Shelf
Photo of the whiteboard at the Northfield Community Education Center (NCEC) Food Shelf or the “Tiny Food Shelf” as it is called

By 3:00 PM on Thursday afternoon, shoppers have filled the hallway of the Northfield Community Education Center. I sit at a small rolling desk at the end of the hall, checking people in and chatting with regulars. Inside the food shelf, student workers and Community Action Center employees finish stocking shelves with cereal boxes, fresh produce, bags of Maseca flour, half-gallons of milk, and more. 

The food shelf at the Northfield Community Education Center (NCEC)—one of three locations run by the Community Action Center (CAC)—provides community members with free groceries on a weekly basis. 

The NCEC shelf, or the Tiny Shelf as it is sometimes affectionately called because of its compact size, is staffed by Carleton students from the College’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE).

Working at the food shelf makes me feel more connected to the Northfield community, and I like getting out of the Carleton bubble. Everyone there is really nice, and the conversations with people who come in [are part of what makes me feel connected].” 

Alice McClain ’24

I first got involved with the food shelf through a summer internship with the CAC, and I’ve stayed involved ever since because of the community. One night last spring as I struggled to piece together a new utility cart in the food shelf hallway, two shoppers stopped to help. Lending their tools and their time, we spent an hour assembling (and then re-assembling, when it turned out we had made a mistake) the equipment. By the end, they were in charge and I was mostly holding parts steady and handing over tools. 

Padmini Konidena ’25 got involved at the CCCE after doing community-based work study. 

“I liked the community engagement aspect of it because it got me off campus for a bit,” she explained. 

Konidena also mentioned that working at the food shelf connects her to Northfield in a new way. 

I meet different people than I would generally meet. In the past I’ve worked at elementary schools, and I definitely meet a different demographic [at the food shelf].” 

Padmini Konidena ’25

Lillian Lee ’26 expressed a similar sentiment. 

Prior to starting work at the food shelf my main exposure to Northfield consisted of Division Street, which isn’t reflective of the community as a whole. I’ve enjoyed working at the food shelf and getting to know the shoppers and other staff, and learning about a side of Northfield that isn’t as obvious to a lot of people on campus.” 

Lillian Lee ’26

Inside the repurposed classroom which holds the food shelf, fridges are regularly stocked with fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs while the freezer holds everything from frozen fruit to Impossible burgers. The CAC operates under Minnesota’s SuperShelf model, which emphasizes abundance, client choice, and culturally appropriate foods when stocking and operating local food shelves. For clients, the SuperShelf model means they are encouraged to take whatever they can use, and shelves are consistently restocked to ensure they have as many choices as possible.