Meet our new friend, Bernie!

New box truck will be used for Dorothy Day Food Pantry food pick up in East Grand Forks

This is Bernie, Churches United’s new 24-foot box truck!

Churches United has purchased a 24-foot box truck to transport food from East Grand Forks, Minnesota, to Dorothy Day Food Pantry.

Dorothy Day Food Pantry currently receives two food deliveries a month from North Country Food Bank in East Grand Forks.

The box truck provides two main benefits to Churches United: lowering food delivery costs and creating greater flexibility.

This strategic investment in our organization has been long anticipated, and staff, who voted on naming the truck Bernie, are thrilled about the ways it will allow us to better serve our neighbors.

“I am very excited about having Bernie, the big box truck, because that means we are able to take on bigger, larger opportunities to get food to our neighbors,” says CU Nutrition Director Angela H., who oversees food pantry operations. “I can't wait to see where this takes us!”

Hunger in our community only continues to grow, and this purchase will allow us to be more efficient in meeting that growing need. As of Dec. 29, there were 890 visits to Dorothy Day Food Pantry in December, in which 45,655 pounds of food were distributed. In 2025, 582,735 pounds of food were distributed to our neighbors in need.

Just a year ago, a purchase like this would not have been possible for Churches United, but now, we are investing in our future of serving our neighbors, and that’s possible thanks to the overwhelming generosity of our community.