Annual Pasta with the Padres Fundraiser Benefits ECHO Food Shelf This Sunday

Five area Catholic parishes are joining forces Sunday at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, 423 W. 7th St. in Mankato, for the 18th annual Pasta with the Padres fundraiser, serving spaghetti to an expected 600 guests and raising money for ECHO Food Shelf from 4 to 7 p.m.

The free-will fundraiser brings together SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Holy Rosary Catholic Church, and All Saints Catholic Church in Madison Lake alongside the host parish. Organizer Sheryl Peterson, an ECHO volunteer, says the event has long outgrown its church-community roots. "ECHO is part of our community and their mission is to support our community in terms of food insecurity," she said. "It's another form of financial support for ECHO. It's important."

ECHO manager Deisy De Leon Esqueda has set a $20,000 fundraising target for this year's dinner, and the timing sharpens the stakes: all donations will be proportionately matched through the Minnesota FoodShare March Campaign. "It's especially important because it is during the time of March when we do our March campaign, and all of our donations are proportionately matched by the Minnesota Food Share Campaign," De Leon Esqueda said. The food shelf is currently serving about 476 people a day, and De Leon Esqueda noted demand is climbing. "Food insecurity is on the rise in our community, so now is the time to give."

The need is stark. Blue Earth County ranks among the most food insecure counties in Minnesota, and the number of registered families using ECHO has doubled since 2020. Scott Peterson, an ECHO volunteer and the dinner's longtime cook, put the organization's cumulative reach in concrete terms. "All told year after year it's been about 2 to 2.2-million pounds of food that we've distributed throughout the area. So it's an important event for us and it's an important money raiser for ECHO," he said.

Feeding 600 people requires industrial-scale prep. Adam De Leon described the quantities involved: "Close to 45 gallons of pasta and like 50 pounds of sauce. So it's a big quantity for everybody, and we never run out, we always got plenty of food for everybody." The menu includes spaghetti with both meat and vegetarian options, tossed salads with homemade croutons, bread, and sherbet for dessert.

Beyond the meal, the evening includes a silent auction, games, and live music by Pete Klug. The event is open to the public, with good-will offerings encouraged in place of a set admission price.