ELLSWORTH – The countdown is on for Ellsworth’s Cheese Curd Festival. Taking place on Friday, June 23, and Saturday, June 24, the event is one of the region’s largest events drawing thousands to Ellsworth’s East End Business District each June. An event of this size requires a lot of manpower to orchestrate, and for the Cheese Curd Festival, it’s local non-profits and volunteers who make the magic happen.

However, volunteers at the festival aren’t just donating their time. Through the festival’s Nonprofit Volunteer Program volunteers are earning funds to support local non-profit organizations.

For each hour volunteers work at the Cheese Curd Festival, they earn $10 for a participating non-profit organization. With a successful event, the Cheese Curd Festival also shares profits from the event through an additional profit-sharing bonus to each non-profit group. Volunteers can select the organization they wish to support when they sign up online for their shifts. Knowing the organization they are working to support is inspiring and also leads to camaraderie and teamwork. 

With over 300 volunteer shifts through the 1.5-day event, those dollars add up. Since the launch of the program in 2017, the Cheese Curd Festival has directed nearly $100,000 to area nonprofits who funnel those dollars right back into the community.

There are opportunities for everyone, from answering guests’ questions at the Curd-esy Tent, serving cheese curds to hungry guests at the Cheese Curd Central Booth, serving beverages at the festival bars, and more.

High school students can earn community service hours watching over the kids in the Festival Playland area and pitching in at Cheese Curd Central while also supporting a local non-profit. “It’s a win-win for them and by supporting the community in this way, we hope we’re setting the tone for a lifetime of giving back through community service and leadership,” said Kim Beebe, Executive Director of the Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce.

Some local organizations get involved by being “super groups,” tackling projects such as overseeing the set-up and tear-down of the festival.

“We rely on the Ellsworth High School’s football team and their parents for this important, and physically demanding, job,” said Beebe. “They are our heroes, and in a matter of just a few hours can get everything set into place and ready for guests, and then reverse it all again early on Sunday morning.”

Other “super groups” include the Ellsworth High School Track and Cross Country teams who oversee the 5K and 10K Cheese Curd Run, Ellsworth FFA Alumni who handle daytime security duties, the Pierce County Hunger Prevention Council who welcome guests and monitor shuttle parking areas, and St. Francis Parish’s Youth Group who are responsible for park maintenance.

Where does the money go?

What does the funding from this program go towards?

“Whenever someone asks me that question, I tell them to look around. With nearly every Ellsworth non-profit taking part, it’s hard to find a project in town the Cheese Curd Festival and this program hasn’t touched in some way,” said Beebe.

You can find a piece of the Cheese Curd Festival in the new Ellsworth Public Library thanks to the efforts of the Friends of the Ellsworth Public Library and those who volunteered on their behalf. Public art, the East End Mural Walk, and walking trails at Cairns Woods become possible when people volunteer to support the Ellsworth E3 Community Development Corporation. The Hunger Prevention Council uses funding to purchase needs for the Ellsworth Food Pantry. Numerous athletic programs fund equipment purchases or specialized coaching and training for local student athletes. Plus, all the countless good deeds done through the participating churches are many.

“It’s the tourism revenue generated through the Cheese Curd Festival and the Nonprofit Volunteer Program that makes it all possible,” said Beebe. “Our local businesses and community do a lot of generous giving, but they can’t do it all. It’s great to be able to direct revenue from outside our community toward these efforts.”

For many of the organizations, however, it’s not just about the money.

"We appreciate the opportunity to serve the businesses and community by volunteering at the Cheese Curd Festival," said Kristi Miller, President of the Ellsworth Lions Club. "When we volunteer, we're giving more than our time; we’re sharing with festival visitors the spirit of the folks who call Ellsworth home."

Katie Christiansen, Ellsworth High School FFA Advisor, shared a similar sentiment.

“FFA’s motto is ‘Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve.’ Supporting the Cheese Curd Festival is one way we can turn those words into action,” she said.

How to volunteer

It’s not too late to support your favorite local nonprofit organization. While the Cheese Curd Festival is off to a good start on filling volunteers shifts, there are still plenty of opportunities for volunteers to support the event and their favorite organizations at the same time. To see available volunteer opportunities and sign up for a shift, visit the Volunteer page on the Ellsworth Cheese Curd Festival’s website at www.cheesecurdfestival.com/participate/volunteer. Work a shift or two, then plan to enjoy the food, music, and tasting experiences found at the event.

The following non-profit organizations participate in the program:

C3 Church

Eau Galle Rush River Sportsman Club

Ellsworth Ambulance Service

Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce

Ellsworth Baseball Softball Association

Ellsworth Basketball Association

Ellsworth Community School District Foundation

Ellsworth E3 Community Development Corporation

Ellsworth FFA and FFA Alumni

Ellsworth High School Football

Ellsworth High School Dance Team

Ellsworth High School Softball Boosters

Ellsworth High School Volleyball Boosters

Ellsworth Lion’s Club

Ellsworth Public Library/Friends of the Library

English Lutheran Church

Family Resource Center St. Croix Valley

Hunger Prevention Council of Pierce County

Masonic Lodge

Our Saviors Lutheran Church

St. Francis Church and School

St. Paul’s United Church of Christ

Zion Covenant Church

“At the Ellsworth Chamber, we really appreciate the relationships we’ve built with local organizations through this program,” Beebe said. “We recognize their importance not only to this event, but to our community.”

As it became clear that the 2020 Cheese Curd Festival was going to be canceled due to the pandemic, the Chamber worried about the organizations who they knew counted on the dollars raised at the festival, and other events that were also being canceled, to do their important work in the community.

“It would have been easy for us to just take a break that year, but we knew the needs of our community wouldn’t be taking a hiatus,” Beebe said. “That’s why the Cheese Curd Festival Committee worked hard to modify the festival into a drive-thru event. We were proud of the fact that were able to keep our partners supported at a very scary time. They have shared how much they appreciated our efforts and this program. That’s something special about our community that unless you’re volunteering for one of these groups people may not know.”