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Hunger Matters

The Second Harvest Heartland Blog

  • A Day in the Life of a Food Shelf Order

    A Day in the Life of a Food Shelf Order

    September 12, 2022 By: Samantha Solberg - Communications Specialist

    Ever wonder how the healthy, donated food from our food bank gets to food shelves and agency partners across Minnesota and Western Wisconsin? It takes a team, technology and transportation.

  • A Fresh Resource for the Belle Plaine Community

    A Fresh Resource for the Belle Plaine Community

    August 25, 2022 By: Sophia Ogren-Dehn - Agency Relations Communications Specialist 

    Each summer, the Belle Plaine Area Food Shelf makes fresh fruits and vegetables from Second Harvest Heartland available to their whole community. In addition to regular food shelf operations, they run a produce distribution in the parking lot of a nearby athletic complex.

  • Advocacy Spotlight: Interview with Staff Volunteer Troy Johnson

    Advocacy Spotlight: Interview with Staff Volunteer Troy Johnson

    August 22, 2022 By: Maren Guptill - Public Affairs Intern   

    This past spring, the Advocacy Team hosted a training and letter writing session to teach volunteers about what advocacy work is, and how they can take simple steps to get involved and make a change. This month, we are highlighting an interview from Second Harvest Heartlands very own senior information technology administrator, Troy Johnson.

  • Minnesota Central Kitchen in the Classroom and on the Mainstage

    Minnesota Central Kitchen in the Classroom and on the Mainstage

    August 22, 2022 By: Kristie Thibodeau - Minnesota Central Kitchen Account Manager

    There is no slowing down the momentum of Minnesota Central Kitchen! The freshly prepared meals program goes to Harvard Business School and the Feeding America Annual Feed Nourish Connect Conference.

  • Advocacy Spotlight: Interview with Volunteer Ben Savin

    Advocacy Spotlight: Interview with Volunteer Ben Savin

    July 27, 2022 By: Maren Guptill - Public Affairs Intern   

    This spring, Second Harvest Heartland hosted an advocacy training session where volunteers and employees came together to learn more about how to get involved in important food policy work. After the sessions, we interviewed participants to gather feedback on what people learned. Here is an interview with Ben Savin, a CSFP and advocacy volunteer. 

  • Thank You Donors!

    Thank You Donors!

    July 26, 2022 By: Rachel Bittner - Direct Marketing Specialist

    Donor support helps make everything we do at Second Harvest Heartland possible! That’s why we’re designating an entire week—August 1-7—to show our thanks and appreciation to the individuals, families, community partners and corporate donors who support Second Harvest Heartland’s mission to end hunger together.

  • Preparing for the 2023 Farm Bill

    Preparing for the 2023 Farm Bill

    July 19, 2022 By: Rachel Sosnowchik - Public Affairs Specialist

    Every five years, Congress reauthorizes the Farm Bill, which sets funding levels and requirements for nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). Second Harvest Heartland is working with partners across the state to strengthen these important hunger-fighting programs in the 2023 Farm Bill.

  • Accessing Fresh and Local Foods with SNAP Market Bucks

    Accessing Fresh and Local Foods with SNAP Market Bucks

    July 13, 2022 By: Vicky Mendez - SNAP Outreach Specialist 

    The Market Bucks program is an exciting way for Minnesota SNAP participants to receive additional funds to use at farmers markets, making fresh and local foods more affordable. Plus, it’s an easy way to support farmers and put more dollars right back into our local economy.

  • 5 Hunger-Fighting Reasons to Give Monthly

    5 Hunger-Fighting Reasons to Give Monthly

    June 29, 2022 By: Rachel Bittner - Annual Giving Lead

    As hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans face food insecurity and many food shelf partners are seeing up to 30% more visitors this summer, consistent support from monthly donations is more important than ever in the fight against hunger. Become a Monthly Giver by July 31 and your recurring gift will be matched for the first 12 months.

  • End of Legislative Session Brings Missed Opportunities for Lawmakers to Address Food Insecurity

    End of Legislative Session Brings Missed Opportunities for Lawmakers to Address Food Insecurity

    June 22, 2022 By: Rachel Sosnowchik - Public Affairs Specialist

    The 2022 Minnesota legislative session has ended without needed investments in hunger-relief efforts. Learn more about what proposals were on the table and why organizations like Second Harvest Heartland are calling for lawmakers to come back and pass additional legislation.

  • How Haven Housing Gives Food a Second Chance with Food Rescue

    How Haven Housing Gives Food a Second Chance with Food Rescue

    June 15, 2022 By: Samantha Solberg - Communications Specialist

    Haven Housing is an emergency shelter and supportive housing program that serves women and women-led families in Minneapolis. As a meal program partner of Second Harvest Heartland, Haven Housing utilizes donations of excess food from restaurants and grocers to provide meals and snacks for their residents each day. 

  • Five Food Donors Fighting Hunger in the Heartland

    Five Food Donors Fighting Hunger in the Heartland

    June 14, 2022 By: Samantha Solberg - Communications Specialist

    Thanks to food donations from growers, producers, manufacturers and businesses, we delivered more than 120 million pounds of food to meal programs and food shelves across our region last year. Here are five of the food donation partners that helped make this possible.

  • From Farm to Food Bank: Q&A with The Good Acre

    From Farm to Food Bank: Q&A with The Good Acre

    June 3, 2022 By: Samantha Solberg - Communications Specialist

    In 2021, we began partnering with The Good Acre to support Minnesota's diverse agricultural community and supply hungry neighbors with fresh produce. To date, 25 participating BIPOC growers have sold more than 197,000 pounds of locally grown produce to Second Harvest Heartland.

  • Spotlighting Senior Hunger in Minnesota

    Spotlighting Senior Hunger in Minnesota

    May 26, 2022 By: Taylor Day - Senior Hunger Programs Manager

    Seniors are currently the fastest-growing segment of the population visiting food shelves. At Second Harvest Heartland, we’re working hard to make sure all seniors in our community have the nutritious food they need to lead healthy, active and productive lives.

  • Meet the Team Helping to Keep Food Distributions Safe and Accessible!

    Meet the Team Helping to Keep Food Distributions Safe and Accessible!

    May 19, 2022 By: Sophia Ogren-Dehn - Agency Relations Communications Specialist 

    Our Agency Relations team, who works directly with food shelf and community partners, has an in-house Compliance team, helping partners prioritize health and safety at every step of the hunger-relief journey. Get to know our Agency Relations' Compliance team members.

  • Why Schools Across Minnesota Are Essential to Ending Child Hunger

    Why Schools Across Minnesota Are Essential to Ending Child Hunger

    May 18, 2022 By: Alauna Yust - Guest Contributor

    Meeting kids and families where they are is an effective way to combat hunger, and schools have an important role to play when it comes to connecting families to reliable, healthy foods. With summer months fast approaching, schools will continue to play a vital role to ensure that kids have access to meals even when school is not in session.

  • Our Team is Varied, Our Team is Strong: Get to Know the Second Harvest Heartland Staff

    Our Team is Varied, Our Team is Strong: Get to Know the Second Harvest Heartland Staff

    May 10, 2022 By: Justin Pelegano - Internal Communications and Engagement Specialist

    It’s safe to say each of our employees has their own unique reasons for working at Second Harvest Heartland, both personal and professional. By sharing our stories, we’re bringing each other closer together while putting our names, faces and histories to this organization’s mission.

  • 4 Reasons Why People Need Food Assistance This Spring and Summer   

    4 Reasons Why People Need Food Assistance This Spring and Summer   

    May 9, 2022 By: Rachel Sosnowchik - Public Affairs Specialist  

    While we fought back the worst of predicted pandemic-era hunger, still more than 800,000 individuals reached out to our network of food shelves and meal programs last year. To address and end hunger, we need to understand why it exists, so here we detail four reasons Minnesotans might be facing food insecurity right now.

  • Saint Paul Public Schools Celebrates their School Lunch Heroes Year Round

    Saint Paul Public Schools Celebrates their School Lunch Heroes Year Round

    May 3, 2022 By: Hannah Keuler - Child Hunger Specialist

    To recognize School Lunch Hero Day on May 6, the Child Hunger Team talked with Jill Westlund, nutrition coordinator at Saint Paul Public Schools, about their innovative School Lunch Hero engagement campaign.

  • Today’s Harvest Opens Second Location

    Today’s Harvest Opens Second Location

    May 3, 2022 By: Sophia Ogren-Dehn - Agency Relations Communications Specialist 

    Christian Cupboard Emergency Food Shelf (CCEFS) has opened a second Today’s Harvest location, which provides low barrier, fresh-focused food support that acutely meets community needs.

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