Photo: Anna Kostochko
Shirley Buehler’s homemade pies are a hot commodity at The Great Taste, a fundraising gala for the ICA Food Shelf in Minnetonka.
For more than 24 years, Shirley Buehler has been something of a heartbeat at ICA Food Shelf, the nonprofit organization that provides food, jobs and housing services to families in need in Excelsior, Hopkins, Minnetonka and the surrounding communities. When Buehler, in her 80s, retired from a local equipment company in 2000, her pastor asked if she would jump in and help at ICA. She was originally hired as an assistant to the then-director—and the rest is history.
“I went to visit ICA, and I got hooked,” Buehler says with a smile. Over the last two decades-plus, she’s done pretty much everything from doing case management and hauling onions to meeting with local partners and organizing food drives. Scott Searl, ICA’s director of philanthropy, says Buehler embodies the “outreach” part of the organization’s mission. “Everyone in our community knows Shirley,” Searl says. “Her impact on ICA is immeasurable. And if you didn’t already know, she makes the best pie around.”
Pie, you say? What started as a fun baking competition among ICA staff members many years ago bloomed into a significant fundraising effort. “I had this recipe for Rhubarb Custard Pie, and we decided to have a little contest. It was so fun, and everyone got involved,” Buehler says. “Then I thought, ‘Why not offer pies at our silent auction?’ So I did.”
Buehler’s pies were so popular at the silent auction that they were promoted to the live auction at ICA’s annual The Great Taste fundraiser. Last year, a custom monthly pie delivery fetched $3,500 at the live auction. Buehler asks winners to order their favorite flavors, bakes them up once a month and hand-delivers them—herself—to their front door. Her most popular flavor? “Banana Cream, hands down,” Buehler says. “I use real whipped cream on the top, and I think that’s what sells it.”
Buehler knows that community connection, service and food are deeply linked. “Feeding people is a wonderful cause,” she says. “We’re not just filling their tummies at ICA; we’re feeding their souls, too.” Her advice for others—at any age—wanting to help their communities is to find an organization like ICA that focuses on nonjudgemental, come-as-you-are service. “If you come to us, if you need food or help paying your rent, we’re here. We’re your community,” Buehler says. “It’s incredible to be committed to something for this long and still feel good about it.”
Helping Hands
This holiday season, director of philanthropy Scott Searl says, neighbors can support ICA by donating funds or hosting a food drive. “We purchase one-third of the food we share, and with food prices up 25 percent since 2019, financial gifts are as important as ever,” he says.
Another third of ICA’s food is donated, which provides important variety (versus staples that are bought at cost). “Hosting a food drive … also helps raise awareness that more than 1,000 families each month need our help,” Searl says. Finally, ICA relies on more than 35 volunteers daily to keep operations running smoothly.
ICA Food Shelf
11588 K-Tel Drive, Minnetonka; 952.938.0729
Facebook: ICA Food Shelf
Instagram: @icafoodshelf
