Submitted Photo Turtle Mountain Chippewa Food Pantry volunteers Irene Vann, Brandon Parisien and Norma Swain sort tomatoes.

BELCOURT – The Minot Area Community Foundation has announced the award of two grants to St. Ann’s Mission in Belcourt in support of the organization’s services and community initiatives.

In 2023, the Ovid F. Boisjolie fund granted $3,000 to the St. Ann’s Turtle Mountain Chippewa Food Pantry (TMCFP). In 2024, the Boisjolie fund also granted just over $24,000 to St. Ann’s Church to complete a fundraising campaign for a much-needed boiler heating system at the Queen of Peace Retreat Center, according to an MACF news release.

Founded in 1885, St. Ann’s Mission exists to provide spiritual and material resources to the people of Turtle Mountain Reservation. The mission is composed of three Catholic churches in the area, as well as St. Ann’s Catholic School and the Queen of Peace retreat center. The Mission also acts as a fiscal sponsor for the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Food Pantry.

“We are so grateful for the support St. Ann’s has received from MACF’s Boisjolie Fund,” said the Rev. Michael Slovak, pastor for St. Ann’s Mission. “The funds helped replace the boiler system in our Queen of Peace community center. The center provides a place of rest for so many who come to pray in the chapel, joy to those who share a meal in the communal eating area, or support for leaders who gather in a meeting room to find solutions to area needs. In addition to the boiler, the MACF’s Boisjolie Fund has helped us reach more children and families with their food pantry support. There are limited resources in our rural area, and we are grateful that the Minot Area Community Foundation remembered our community in their giving decision.”

The Turtle Mountain Chippewa Food Pantry has been a lifeline for individuals and families in the Belcourt area, as well as the surrounding communities of Dunseith, St. John, Rolette and Rolla, since 2007. The pantry distributes more than 25,600 pounds of food to more than 13,000 individuals every month.

The 2023 grant was specific to the pantry’s food shortage and summer cereal needs and helped to supply a year of funding for the purchase of fresh produce/dairy products, restock empty shelves between regional deliveries and provide easily prepared items for children when school is out.

“These grants supporting the great work that St. Ann’s does perfectly aligns with the desire and intent of Mr. Boisjolie when he established his endowment,” Jason Zimmerman, MACF president, said. “We are honored to continue to fulfill his charitable wishes now and into the future.”