GET HELP
Need food for you and your family?
Our network of food shelves and community hunger resources can help.
HUNGER CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE
We’re here to ensure safe, reliable access to the nourishment our neighbors need. We work with hundreds of food shelves and nearly 1,000 partner programs across 59 counties in Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
Use this page to find free groceries, prepared meals, ongoing hunger relief benefits and other programs and services that you may be eligible for.
We can help connect you with programs that support working families, seniors, new mothers and infants, grade school and college students, and even those with chronic health conditions.
Together, we can get through this.
Immediate Help
If you are in immediate need of food, help is nearby and available as soon as today. The Find Food Now button will take you to Hunger Solutions' searchable map.
In the Days Ahead
Federal, state and local programs can help you stretch your food dollars and make ends meet during difficult times.
Questions & Answers
We’re here to help you find the right hunger and nutrition resources. Call 1-844-764-5513 or email our team for help understanding your food assistance options.
FIND THE FOOD AND HUNGER ASSISTANCE YOU NEED
SNAP Monthly Grocery Benefits
SNAP Monthly Grocery Benefits
Save on Healthy Food Purchases
SNAP helps households save money when you buy food at grocery stores, convenience stores, farmers markets and more. Find out if you qualify for monthly EBT benefits.
Senior Food Boxes
Senior Food Boxes
Healthy Groceries Each Month
Sign up for a free monthly box of nutritious food for low-income seniors age 60+. See if you qualify for CSFP or NAPS and find a pick-up site near you.
Summer Meals For Kids
Summer Meals For Kids
Free Meals for Children 18 and Younger
Find a location near you to pick up free meals and snacks during the summer for children age 18 and younger.
Local Food Shelves
Local Food Shelves
Free, Healthy Groceries—Open to All
Get free groceries and prepared meals, regardless of your income level, at a local food shelf in your community. All are welcome!
Discount Groceries
Discount Groceries
Shop and Save on Meat and Produce
Find a Fare For All pop-up grocery store near you and save up to 40% on select meat and produce items.
School Lunches
School Lunches
Healthy School Lunches for K-12 Children
Work with your child’s school district to receive free or reduced-price meals for low-income families.
Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
Food Assistance for Children Under 5
Get healthy food and nutrition support for low-income pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, babies and children under age 5.
Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels
Home Delivered Meals for Seniors
See if you qualify for nutritious meals at free or reduced prices, delivered to your home by friendly volunteers.
“This was so much easier than I thought it would it be. Having food support was a huge blessing at a difficult time.”
“The volunteers tell me ‘this is your shopping time.’ These people are the greatest. They show me respect, grace and dignity.”
“I can only imagine if the food shelf wasn’t there, what we would have done. My income was gone.”
“I talk to some of the neighbors here, and they said it helps them a great deal, considering the prices at the grocery store. It helps sustain me.”
“The people that need help are no different than people that haven’t needed help yet. We’re all the same.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Second Harvest Heartland supports hundreds of food shelves in Minnesota as well as numerous meal programs, food distributions, discount grocery stores and more. For immediate help, locate the food shelf closest to you. Then, review these food assistance and nutrition programs to see if you qualify for ongoing support.
Second Harvest Heartland supports food shelves as well as numerous meal programs, food distributions, discount grocery stores and more that serve in 18 western Wisconsin counties. For immediate help, locate the food shelf closest to you. Then, review these food assistance and nutrition programs to see if you qualify for ongoing support.
Not directly. Think of Second Harvest Heartland as a “food wholesaler” that supplies groceries, fresh produce, and even prepared meals. We collect donated and rescued food, store and package it in our warehouse, then distribute it through our network of partner organizations across Minnesota and Wisconsin. You can get free food (and other hunger relief support) at the community resources near you.
Second Harvest Heartland is a food bank (and more) that brings scale, efficiency and innovation to help end hunger. We work with numerous partners, volunteers and donors to source donated and rescued food in extremely large quantities from local growers and farmers, manufacturers and distributors, grocery and convenience stores, and restaurants and hotels.
We safely store all of this perfectly good food in our facility before our transportation team distributes orders to our network of food shelves and partner programs. Last year, we distributed nearly 123 million pounds of food and more than 113 million meals across Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
Yes. Many local food shelves, food pantries and hunger relief agencies today use a “shopper’s choice” model that allows you to make your own healthy food and grocery choices for you and your family.
Second Harvest Heartland sources and distributes a variety of culturally specific foods to our food shelf partners, such as jasmine rice, pollock, sardines and cumin. Many food shelves, food pantries and free food resources in our network offer options for those with dietary restrictions, allergies and other food preferences.
A prepared meal includes all the components for a healthy and nutritious meal, ready-made for quick and easy preparation at home. Access to prepared meals helps working families, students, seniors and others by reducing anxiety about where their next meal is coming from. It does more than simply address hunger—it also provides comfort, stability and peace-of-mind.
A nutrition box provides healthy groceries, recipe cards and educational materials for individuals with both food insecurity and specific health conditions or dietary restrictions. Nutrition boxes help ensure all people have access to the food, education and support resources they need to thrive.
STILL NEED HELP? CONTACT US
