MOORHEAD — Every second Friday for several decades now, Lori Knoll and her family have been volunteering at Churches United, always serving up the same fare: Sloppy Joes, potato chips and pickles.

In their 21 years of helping fill bellies at the shelter, they’ve had hundreds of exchanges with those coming for a meal.

But one moment in particular stands out — when a woman receiving lunch shared a dream.

“She looked across the counter at us and said, ‘Someday, I’m going to be on the other side of the counter doing what you’re doing,’” Knoll recalled of Dominique Gant’s statement. “Now, she’s running the kitchen, and her daughter comes in and helps serve, too.”

The moment struck a chord, she said, and helped her three children, teens at the time, better understand why they had signed up t

See Full Page