The Food Group

Food shelf visits remain at record levels, with grocery prices still incredibly high and new families using our affordable grocery programs to access healthy foods. Your donation provides food for today and creates change for tomorrow! Give here: https://bit.ly/3UIOY5g

Check out this great feature by WCCO | CBS News Minnesota on our Big River Farms program! https://cbsn.ws/3XewKIt We’re grateful for the spotlight on our farm partners, farm director, and partners at Neighborhood House. We believe in local food for every table by supporting emerging farmers and increasing access to local foods for everyone, including food shelves. For more info about Big River Farms, visit: https://bit.ly/4enXuhE

Our Minnesota Food HelpLine program — now part of The Food Group after we joined forces with Hunger Solutions Minnesota this past spring — was featured in a recent report from Food Research & Action Center highlighting some of the different ways anti-hunger organizations like ours partner with health care providers to address food insecurity. Read more: https://bit.ly/3XgTkS8 Through the Minnesota Food HelpLine, anyone in the state can call for assistance accessing resources like SNAP, nearby food shelves, affordable grocery programs, senior resources, and more. Learn more about the program here: https://bit.ly/4dMg162

Earlier this month, we hosted a tour of our pilot project exploring agrivoltaics in Big Lake, MN. It was a beautiful day, and we loved getting to share more about about this work! Shout out to all of our amazing partners and community that came together to learn and share with our visitors. We're excited to continue sharing more about this innovative, climate-smart project to farm between solar panels to grow vegetables and expand land access for emerging farmers.

Check out this recent MPR News article about St. Paul Public Schools' food truck, which provides free meals to children and teens during the summer months. Inflation and increasing food prices mean more people are accessing food shelves in Minnesota, and many students in the St. Paul school district deal with food insecurity. “SNAP dollars are simply not going as far, so it’s kind of like everyone’s using a patchwork of resources to get through the month,” said our executive director, Sophia Lenarz-Coy. Read more: https://bit.ly/4cJOAJ9

"Land is expensive, and if you don't come from generations of farming, figuring out how to get the capital and how to find land is such a challenge." Sophia Lenarz-Coy, our executive director, was featured in a recent KARE 11 segment highlighting our ongoing pilot project on agrivoltaics: farming around and under solar panels. Watch here, and if you're heading to the Minnesota State Fair, stop by the Connexus® Energy exhibit in the Ag building and learn more about the project! https://bit.ly/3OYJdf5

Our #FoodOfTheMonth for August is ... walleye! 🐟 We get our walleye from Red Lake Nation Fishery. Last fiscal year, we distributed more than 9,000 pounds to our agency partners and to customers at our Fare For All sites ... and it's coming back in next month's FFA "Minnesota Meat Pack" special! We believe in purchasing from local producers whenever possible, and when you become a Monthly Nourisher, you help share fish like walleye with your community. A gift of $20 provides approximately two pounds of walleye to people experiencing hunger. Give here: https://bit.ly/3UIOY5g Love the taste of fried walleye but looking for a healthier version? This recipe has the same breaded crispiness we all love but is baked in the oven, which also makes for less cleanup: https://bit.ly/3zZKfnu

From securing statewide funding for food shelves ... to meeting the needs of our communities ... to responding to more than 13,000 calls for help on our Minnesota Food HelpLine, The Food Group and Hunger Solutions Minnesota (now a part of The Food Group) are leading the charge in Minnesota's food fight as a combined organization! Celebrate this progress with us, raise support, and continue to work toward ensuring that everyone rises together at this year's Rising Tides event: https://bit.ly/4dvPsSO This is Hunger Solutions' annual event, and as we've joined forces we're excited to continue the legacy. It's a family-friendly evening featuring appetizers, a silent auction, and a short program with experts discussing hunger in Minnesota and how we can win this fight together.

We began a partnership with Robbinsdale Area Schools in March 2022 to increase food access for approximately 200 students who are highly mobile or at risk of experiencing homelessness. The district utilizes grants from the Minnesota Department of Education to help fund vouchers to ensure eligible students and their families have access to nutritious food. These vouchers allow them to purchase groceries through our affordable grocery programs: Fare For All and Twin Cities Mobile Market! Learn more about how this partnership connects local students with healthy and culturally familiar foods that support their learning: https://bit.ly/4fR0weR

Summer EBT cards are on their way to Minnesota families! This is a program from the MN Department of Children, Youth, and Families
that provides a one-time benefit of $120 per eligible school-aged child so families can purchase nutritious food. The benefits can be used at grocery stores, farmers markets and other retailers that accept EBT cards. If you or someone you know hasn't received their card in the mail yet, reach out to your school district to confirm your family's eligibility! You can learn more about the program here: https://lnkd.in/gu6Reggj