As I'm sat here at Atomic Coffee attempting to write this first issue, looking for the words to describe my experiences within the community and sum up the interviews I’ve had the pleasure of conducting, I keep getting distracted. Everywhere around me are conversations that I just can’t help but overhear and things happening that catch my eye.

The gentleman in front of me, covered in tattoos, jumped up to hug his friend the moment she walked in the door, and is now animatedly telling her all about his garden and how Spring just keeps teasing us with these temps. A woman with the sweetest smile is at the door trying to wheel in a cart of items for an event taking place in the backroom, while a kind, young stranger stops to open and hold the door for her. Other people, like myself, are posted with their computers silently staring off into space trying to capture the full scope of whatever it is they're working on. It’s all just so mundane, yet extraordinary. People everywhere simultaneously in their own little bubbles and a part of a larger collective, our community, that is impacting them in ways that they aren’t fully aware of. It’s beautiful, really.

There are so many incredible people and interesting places and things within the Fargo/Moorhead/West Fargo community. Yet, they’re often missed because we’re too busy in our own fast-paced lives to be aware of the goodness around us. Lucky for you, I’ve got nothing but time and a thirst to unearth our hidden gems. Welcome to the Meadowlark Informer!

Community Spotlight

Food insecurity is on the rise for a multitude of reasons, from rising prices across the board to mass layoffs - people are struggling to stay afloat. Thankfully, we have people like Skip and Sherry Espeseth, who run the Food Pantry at Olivet Lutheran Church, who serve our neighbors with compassion and respect.

Both Skip and Sherry have extensive volunteer backgrounds and, when they moved here 5 years ago, it was very important to them to give back to the community in meaningful ways. After almost 2 years of being in town and watching Roger Larson (the then Pantry Manager) rock it as a one man show, they found what they wanted to do and, thus, began their journey with the Olivet Food Pantry. They started their Fresh Produce Distribution in October of 2023, and had become an integral part of the pantry. When Roger was ready to retire in 2024, they stepped up and took it over completely.

Today, Skip and Sherry have grown and manage a volunteer network of 50+ individuals that include congregation members, sport team members from Concordia, MSUM and NDSU, the Boy Scouts, and Refugees looking to give back to the community that accepted them with open arms. Together with their team of volunteers, they ensure that 350+ families are fed every single month, across their two monthly distributions.

They started a Metro-Area Pantry Coalition in 2025, to ensure that products that are donated across the pantry network in Fargo/Moorhead/West Fargo aren’t going to waste and are being distributed in communities that can use them most.

In serving our communities, they lead by example, through removing barriers like income restrictions, never turning families away, and allowing people to pick up for other families that may otherwise be unable to do so or are too ashamed to ask for help. Their partial choice model (offering choices in addition to their pre-packed distribution boxes) and drive-up distribution style honors the dignity of our neighbors by ensuring that they have access to foods that they enjoy, while observing their anonymity.

When people question the wisdom of making everything so accessible, their response is “What’s our mission? To hand out food.” Their reminder to their volunteers and to others in the community is that it’s nobody’s place to judge another’s circumstance, as every story is different and there is already too much stigma around asking for help.

If this wasn’t enough, they also share their time with the Ronald McDonald house assisting with administrative work and fundraising once a week and, when time permits, cooking meals for their residents once a month.

Skip and Sherry are the epitome of Community Leadership, leading with love, acceptance, and compassion every step of the way. To them, giving back to their community is a gift. They find so much joy in service and experiencing the immediate impact of handing food to a family that is struggling and seeing the relief in their eyes. If you see them about, be sure to thank them for their service!

Are you looking for ways to help? Here’s how:

The Food Pantry at Olivet Lutheran Church is fully funded through the church and congregation, but they are always appreciative of additional cash donations, which are used to purchase additional foods and products. You can also donate foods like ground beef, chicken, and fish, and / or spaghetti sauce, which is frequently used in easy meal kits. They are also always open to having more volunteers!

Do you need help?

Food distributions are held at Olivet Lutheran Church located on the corner of 13th Ave S. & University Dr. S. in Fargo on the first and third Monday of the month from 4:30 pm until 6pm or until the food is gone. You can also find additional distributions here. Remember, you are worthy of help and support. Don’t be afraid to ask, that’s what community is for.

Artist of the Week

Local author, Emily Shilling, explores themes of trauma and healing through the lens of power exchange, alternative relationship dynamics and, what she describes as, radical self-acceptance. Her books feature a wide range of characters with representation for those that identify as queer, live an alternative life style, or do not fit society's outdated standards for, well, everything.

Emily's writing gives life to characters that perfectly capture the way that people experience trauma in its rawest form and how it manifests in relationships and everyday life. Her works demonstrate the complex, multi-faceted nature of being human and honors the time and effort it takes to heal.

Her most recent work, Grace Under Fire, gives light to C-PTSD and extreme low self-esteem and healing through power exchange and alternative relationship dynamics. She dared to write her female main character as a plus-sized woman and describe her as beautiful and desirable - perfect just the way she is, which prompted backlash from the traditional publishing world, with an agent even reaching out to encourage her to slim Grace down a bit, otherwise she likely won't be considered for trad-publishing. Emily's response? She told them that she had no intention of trad-publishing because writing characters that reflect real human beings is her top priority.

If you're interested in reading Grace's story and finding out for yourself what I'm talking about, you can find your copy here. Sidenote: the second book, Finding Grace, is due to be published on August 10, 2026 (not yet available for preorder).

Her other upcoming works include a poetry collection titled Tourniquets & Turning Points, which will be published on May 25, 2026 and explores the theme of learning to live again after surviving trauma, and a novella called The Weight of Solitude, being published on June 1, 2026, which follows a trans character through their healing process and focuses on themes related to deep depression and being complicit in one's own suffering. You can pre-order your copies here and here, respectively.

In addition to the aforementioned works, Emily’s range also includes epic fantasy novels! Her full bibliography can be found below. You can follow her on TikTok: @e_shilling_author and on The Tiara Court, an all female Indy author collective, also on TikTok.

Bibliography:

• Fear & Other Things - Poetry Collection
• Ireiale’s Peril - Epic Fantasy
• Ireiale’s Choice - Epic Fantasy
• Grace Under Fire
• Tourniquets & Turning Points - Poetry collection, coming May 25.
• The Weight of Solitude - A Novella, coming June 1
• Finding Grace - Coming August 10.

Business Spotlight

When I walked into Kreps Family Farm, I was expecting a typical restaurant experience - closed off kitchen separating staff from customer, tables packed in like a tuna can to maximize space, brisk, but kind customer service - you know what I’m talking about. Instead, what I found was something closer to grandma’s house.

Mary Jane, was behind the counter hand-rolling dough for caramel rolls (that were as big as my whole hand, mind you) sporting a welcoming smile and chatting away. Mathew, her husband and partner in crime, was posted at one of the tables with a cup of coffee, clacking away on his computer. The tables were dispersed in a way that said, "take up your space, you’re here to relax and enjoy your meal," while a large stand of freshly baked and canned goods takes up a third of the East wall. The whole environment just had a way of making you release the breath you'd been holding since rush hour.

I ordered their chili and a grilled cheese sandwich, which also came with a dinner roll (Mathew’s mother’s recipe). With the first bite, I could tell immediately that their chili used a homemade base, it was in the richness of the tomatoes and the variety of seasonings. I watched as Mary Jane pre-warmed the bread on the grill before adding the cheese to ensure that it melted well and evenly without burning the bread. It had a perfect crispy crust and soft, gooey center. The dinner roll was the lightest, most fluffiest piece of heaven to ever have graced my mouth. The whole meal was quite the treat, and the conversation that I had with their family was of a quality that you just don’t find these days. . .

Mary Jane and Mathew didn’t intend to open a restaurant. They started off as just a little stand at the Farmer’s Market and worked their way into a commercial kitchen. Every recipe they use is either inherited, developed by Mary Jane, or lovingly provided by close friends. For their meals, they use their own or local products. Almost everything is made by hand, in-house, which is why they serve only one dish each day.

All three of their sons also work in the restaurant. Their youngest, who's also a part of multiple choirs and orchestra groups, runs the stand at West Acres Mall. Their middle child, who’s a triple major at NDSU, can be frequently found helping around the restaurant, while their eldest, a middle school educator, works the farm in the summer. It truly is a family affair!

Their primary focus is their canned and baked goods. The items that they can come straight from their garden and all of their pickles are hand cut with a TON of love! When they run out, it’s gone until the next season. All of their baked goods are made in small batches and always fresh.

Being a local, family run business, it is very important to them to give back to their community in a multitude of ways. When items reach their sell-by date, they bring them over to New Life Center, a men’s only shelter located on 3rd Ave. N. in Fargo, where they are shared with those in need. They frequently bring baked goods to the local Fire, Police and Sheriff’s Departments and, in addition to these community services, they also offer a variety of services for their customers, including:

• Thanksgiving Dinner kits, which are completely pre-cooked.
• Drop-off catering, including meals, cinnamon rolls, caramel rolls, egg bakes, cookies and pies.
• Creation of wedding favors, like small jams and jellies.

On Wednesdays, you can find them making some of the best Swedish Meatballs you will ever have in your life and, in the summer months, you can find them posted at the grill making hamburgers, brats and hotdogs all from Alsager Meat, located on 26th Ave. S. in Fargo. The grilling starts this week!

If you’re looking for fresh homestyle meals, made with quality products and no shortcuts, you’ll find it at Kreps Family Farm on 13th Ave. S. in Fargo by the Battery shop. Their hours are 8:30 am to 5 pm, with lunch running from 11:30 am until gone. Follow them on Facebook if you want updates to their menu.

Recipe of the Week

This week's recipe for fall-off-the-bone crockpot ribs was submitted by me! I created it when our grill broke and I was really craving ribs but couldn't be home to watch them in the oven. I hope you enjoy! This comfortably feeds a family four, sometimes with leftovers.

Ingredients

• 2 racks of pork ribs
• 2 cups Apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
• 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tbsp of dried thyme
• 1-2 large sprig rosemary or 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• Your favorite Dry Rub Seasoning
• 1 bottle of BBQ Sauce (optional) (I use Stubb's Original BBQ)

Directions

1. Combine the apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, thyme, rosemary and Dijon mustard in a gallon Ziploc bag and squeeze around until thoroughly mixed (you can also mix in a bowl, I just like to cut down on dishes). Set aside.
2. Pat your ribs dry, remove the silvery membrane on the back of the ribs and cut off any excess fat.
3. Cut the ribs in thirds or halves (depends on how many people you're feeding).
4. Place the ribs inside the Ziploc bag with the mixture from step 1, and let marinade in the fridge from anywhere between 2 - 12 hours.
5. After marinating, take the ribs out and lay them on a flat surface (a pan, plate, clean counter - whatever works for you) and generously cover with your dry rub seasoning.
6. Once seasoned, layer the ribs in your crockpot (7-8 quart crockpot works best) and cook for 6 - 8 hours on low heat. Do not add any liquid other than 2-3 tbsp of the marinade - if you must - trust me.
7. If you're going to use BBQ sauce you can add it to the crockpot 30 minutes to an hour before you're going to serve the ribs.

Serve

This pairs well with roasted broccoli or Brussel sprouts, corn on the cob, and cornbread.

Did you know?

Before the city of Fargo was officially named on February 14, 1872 after the Director of the NP Railway, William G. Fargo, it's name was Centralia. Despite officials communicating the name via telegram on September 22, 1871, when the first post office was established on October 6, 1871, residents still chose to name the town Centralia! Unfortunately, the residents' rebellion didn't stick, because that would have been a name straight out of fantasy novel.

Sources:

North Dakota State University Libraries. (n.d.). Fargo founded. Retrieved May 3, 2026, from https://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/index217e.html?q=content/fargo-founded​

Out on the Town

If you're looking to get out, here are some fun things to do. . .

• Mother's Day Plant Sale - Little Bodega Deli & Green Grocer - April 30th - May 11th
• Cinco de Mayo & Kentucky Derby Party - Blarney Stone Pub in West Fargo - May 2nd - May 5th
• Nurse Appreciation Day - Junkyard Brewing - May 6th @ 12 pm
• Free Creative Writing Workshop - Plains Art Museum - May 7th @ 7 pm
• Moorhead Cruise Night - Moorhead Community & Technical College - May 7th @ 5 pm
• Blooms for Mom! - Junkyard West Fargo - May 8th @ 3 pm
• Kind Impact Book Swap - Cookie Krums in West Fargo - May 9th @ 1pm
• The Front Fenders Concert - Fargo Elks #260 - May 9th @ 4 pm
• Mother's Day at the Zoo - The Red River Zoo - May 10th @ 10 am