“We were left high and dry,” Thibault said. “So we thought we’d appeal to the people and put an article in the paper that we didn’t have a place to distribute.”

A Mankato Free Press article resulted in donations that helped ECHO purchase its current headquarters on Second Street in downtown Mankato.

And, not so surprisingly, sisters continue to volunteer today.

The regulars are Roman, Sister Dominic Klaseus and Sister Rose Anthony Krebs. The three volunteer every Thursday afternoon.

“It’s the way we can serve the poor,” Krebs said.

The three are aware of the convent’s deep roots with ECHO, but they do not take much credit for its success.

When asked about the sisters’ impact on the shelf, Klaseus instead shifted the emphasis to area residents.

“It says something about the Mankato people who jumped on the band wagon and continued it,” she said.

As if time wasn’t enough, the School Sisters of Notre Dame contribute fresh organic veggies from their garden on Good Counsel, too.

More than 20 volunteers help tend to a portion of the garden, which is specifically allotted and grown for donations to ECHO.

Last year, the sisters gave 800 pounds of produce.

“The poorest people don’t always get the best food,” said Lisa Coons, director of the convent’s Center for Earth Spirituality and Rural Ministry. “Investing in the people is a great way to invest in the future.”

As long as the School Sisters of Notre Dame are able and willing, their services will always be welcome, said Ryan Ihrke, assistant manager of ECHO.

The sisters provide a jolt of positive energy to the food shelf.

“They go out of their way to get to know the people who come in,” he said. “It’s a good atmosphere. They know how to interact with people and it helps us.”