Matt Darnold, Hudson Pride Co.

06/04/24 • 22 min

A lightbulb clicked for Matt Darnold when the Hudson native attended a Pride Festival in Hastings, Minnesota: why couldn’t something like this take place in his hometown?
So Matt set out to create Hudson Pride Co., which last year hosted the first annual Valley Wide Pride Fest at Lakefront Park. The goal was to offer a safe space to members of the LGBTQ+ community in the St. Croix Valley area and to promote inclusiveness and acceptance.
The event is back for a second year, and Matt joins this week’s episode of St. Croix Stories to kick off Pride Month with an important conversation about what it was like for him to grow up in Hudson and how the Valley Wide Pride Fest is helping him strengthen his ties to his hometown.

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Previous Episode

Ben and Hannah Jung, Hudco To Go

If you're like me, you sometimes don't feel like cooking dinner (or don't have time) but you still want a home-cooked meal. That's where Hudco To Go comes in. As a newer arrival to the Hudson food scene, Hudco To Go offers home-cooked meals that you can bring home and heat up. Chef Ben Jung and his wife Hannah opened Hudco to Go downtown Hudson earlier this year, serving up sandwiches and salads in addition to freezers full of take-and-bake items.
On this episode of St. Croix Stories, Ben and Hannah share more about the inspiration for Hudco To Go. Ben also shares more about his experience cooking in various Twin Cities restaurants and for kids at Camp St. Croix, and they both discuss what it meant to have support from other restaurant owners in town as they launched their new venture. All of that and more on the latest episode of St. Croix Stories.

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Next Episode

Hudson Area Backpack & Food Program and Operation HELP

There are several great non-profits in the Hudson area helping residents with various challenges, and two of them will soon be under the same roof to better serve their clients. The Hudson Area Backpack & Food Program will be joining Operation HELP in the same facility as the two long-standing organizations will now have more space to operate.
The Hudson Area Backpack & Food Program began in 2007 as a way to ensure kids at Hudson schools had enough food to eat, and has since grown to serve an even wider group. Operation HELP has served the St. Croix County area for more than 30 years, offering financial assistance for things such as rent, utilities, car repairs and more.
On this week's episode of St. Croix Stories, we hear from Kris Knott of the Hudson Area Backpack and Food Program and Tim Puffer of Operation HELP to hear more about their respective organizations and learn what this move to a shared space will mean to both groups.

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Follow St. Croix Stories on Facebook and Instagram, and hear all episodes at stcroixstories.com.