Press Room
We work to elevate hunger awareness and inspire action. Find recent news stories and press releases here. If you're a member of the media, reach out to help share the story of today's hunger and how we can end it together.
Media Inquiries
Contact Samantha Solberg, Communications Specialist
ssolberg@2harvest.org
651-505-7102
Boilerplate
Second Harvest Heartland is a leading hunger-relief organization. In partnership, we provide 94% of the food distributed by more than 1,000 food shelves and partner programs in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. We also help families enroll in food assistance and provide prepared meals for people who need more than groceries. Second Harvest Heartland is a leader, convener and voice in hunger-related policy discussions. Learn more at 2harvest.org.
Information on Key Issues
Spokespeople Available for Interview
Please contact Samantha Solberg at 651-505-7102 or ssolberg@2harvest.org to arrange an interview with any of the following Second Harvest Heartland leaders.
Allison O'Toole, Chief Executive Officer
• Mobilizing Minnesotans to end hunger together
• Inflation and Covid recovery
• The racial hunger divide
Karla Bauer, Food Rescue Specialist
• How retailers benefit from donating excess food
• Reducing food waste through food rescue
• Meat, milk and more: supporting well-rounded meals through food rescue
Angelica Klebsch, Director of Community Partnerships
• Building community partnerships for hunger relief
• Barriers facing immigrant communities
• Tailoring strategies for special populations
Sarah Moberg, Chief Operations Officer
• End-to-end supply chain: sourcing, storing, distribution
• Innovating to serve our neighbors better
• Neighbor-centered services based in collaboration and partnership
Ethan Neal, Director of Partner Operations
• How strong food shelves power hunger relief
• Mobilizing local agriculture systems for hunger relief
• Supporting a 1,000-plus network of food programs
Sarah Peterson, Director of Programs
• Increasing access to hunger relief programs and resources
• Cross-sector collaboration to improve health outcomes
• Designing equitable programs for diverse communities
Key Data Sources
Hunger in Minnesota
Press Releases
For all media inquiries and to request press releases from earlier than 2023, email Samantha Solberg at ssolberg@2harvest.org.
- 10/31/2023 Second Harvest Heartland Announces Five New Board Members
- 9/29/2023 Second Harvest Heartland Prepares Additional Food Resources for Possible Federal Government Shutdown
- 9/12/2023 Second Harvest Heartland Releases Ad Campaign Highlighting Importance of SNAP to Greater Minnesota
- 5/10/2023 Study: Myths and Misgivings about SNAP Among Latinos
- 5/2/2023 Second Harvest Heartland, Channel One Regional Food Bank Partner on "Start Seeing Hunger" Ad
- 4/25/2023 Second Harvest Heartland, Area Hunger Relief Partners Connect 'Unprecedented' Potholes to Food Insecurity
- 4/5/2023 2022 Minnesota Food Shelf Survey Highlights Critical Role of Emergency Food System Amid Record Hunger
- 3/27/2023 Second Harvest Heartland CEO Allison O'Toole Appointed to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition
- 1/25/2023 Second Harvest Heartland Statement on Critical Investments in Hunger-Fighting Programs Included in Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan’s Budget
- 1/24/2023 Second Harvest Heartland Welcomes Zach Rodvold as Director of Government Affairs
- 1/3/2023 Volunteering: A New Year’s Resolution That Checks All the Boxes
In the News
A sampling of recent media stories about hunger, Second Harvest Heartland and our partners.
- 10/27/2023 Local food bank needs volunteers to feed hungry Minnesotans
- 10/25/2023 Viral social media post highlights 'real needs' at food banks
- 9/28/2023 Hunger relief organizations in the Twin Cities brace for impact of possible government shutdown
- 9/27/2023 Minnesota food shelves brace for government shutdown
- 9/27/2023 Ag secretary: Federal shutdown would hurt nutrition assistance, rural America
- 9/27/2023 We can’t feed the hungry without SNAP
- 9/26/2023 Government shutdown cloud looms over WIC recipients
- 8/2/2023 Farm bill, food stamps and federal funding debated at Minnesota's Farmfest
- 6/17/2023 About 4,000 Minnesotans could lose access to food stamps thanks to federal debt ceiling deal, unless they work or meet exemptions
- 6/14/2023 State helping to fund prepared meals that nonprofits provide to people in need
- 6/13/2023 Lt. Gov. Flanagan, nonprofits praise additional $3.3 million for prepared meals program
- 6/8/2023 2H Heartland Unearths SNAP Myths Among Latinos
- 6/2/2023 Legislature made progress on hunger, but there’s more to do
- 6/1/2023 Second Harvest Heartland receives large milk donation as food shelf demand surges
- 5/30/2023 KARE 11 Sunrise & Second Harvest Heartland team up for Summer Meals for Kids
- 4/24/2023 The Legislature can do more to address hunger
- 4/18/2023 How potholes can cause food insecurity
- 4/8/2023 Food shelves grapple with even more demand after COVID emergency federal food assistance expire
- 4/5/2023 Food shelves facing greater pressure with the end of additional SNAP benefits
- 3/8/2023 Food Banks Will Bear the Brunt of America’s Looming Hunger Cliff
- 3/2/2023 'I'm really worried about it': As federal emergency food help ends, Minnesotans voice concerns
- 2/28/2023 Emergency SNAP benefits end, Minnesota food shelves brace for growing need
- 2/27/2023 COVID-era emergency SNAP benefits set to end, food shelves gear up for more demand
- 2/20/2023 Concerns rise as north Minneapolis loses key grocery, pharmacy stores
- 2/20/2023 Campus-based assistance programs aim to combat food insecurity
- 2/9/2023 2H Heartland CEO Attends State of the Union Address
- 2/7/2023 Senator Tina Smith prepares for State of the Union Address
- 2/3/2023 Wolves coach Finch, staff help out at Second Harvest Heartland
- 1/30/2023 Kitchen Coalition expands beyond the Twin Cities, offering restaurant-style meals to people in need
- 1/20/2023 How Kitchen Coalition makes fresh meals for people in need
- 1/2/2023 At food banks, need is up, donations are down
- 12/31/2022 A Look Back at 2022: Pandemic Ebbs, Inflation Rises
- 12/13/2022 North Minneapolis Food Shelves struggle to keep up with rising food insecurity
- 11/29/2022 More Minnesotans visiting food shelves in 2022 than in previous years
- 11/26/2022 EDITORIAL: Will you help the 1 in 10 among us who are 'food insecure'?
- 11/23/2022 Why hunger is rising in Minnesota and what can be done to help
- 11/21/2022 Food insecurity is increasing across Minnesota
- 11/21/2022 'Historic year': Food shelves face high demand, rising prices
- 11/21/2022 Food bank demand greater now than during peak of pandemic
- 11/17/2022 On Give to the Max Day, food shelves report 30% increase in need this year
- 11/10/2022 Local organization diverts food from landfill to give to families in need
- 10/28/2022 Minneapolis panel highlights partnerships, innovation in addressing racial hunger divide
- 10/27/2022 Community leaders discuss ways to bridge the racial hunger divide in Minnesota
- 10/27/2022 Local leaders looks for solutions to racial hunger divide
- 10/18/2022 Options are out there for those facing food insecurity
- 10/4/2022 Food shelves experience flood of visitors during summer of high prices
- 9/28/2022 As the White House convenes a conference on hunger and nutrition, a look at SNAP
- 9/20/2022 Expanded food stamp program may have short shelf life as hunger increases in Minnesota
- 9/13/2022 A Congress crafts new Farm Bill, food pantries send call for help
- 9/13/2022 Struggling food pantries look to congressional farm bill for assistance
- 8/31/2022 Minnesota food shelves ask for help in upcoming federal farm bill
- 8/25/2022 Food Supports Conversations with Neighbors
- 8/20/2022 'We Run Two Grocery Stores Where Everything is Free'
- 8/18/2022Keeping track of the applesauce: Federal Child Nutrition Programs make it possible for Minnesota nonprofits to serve low-income kids. But while the lunch may be free, you pay for it in paperwork.
- 7/28/2022 Two metro area food aid organizations help seniors facing food insecurity
- 7/18/2022 The “hungriest summer”: Food banks say food insecurity is rising again
- 7/12/2022 Food Banks Get Creative in Managing Volunteers
- 6/28/2022 Twin Cities food shelves brace for ‘hungriest summer ever’
- 6/24/2022 Second Harvest Senior Nutrition Program Moves to Brooklyn Park
- 6/14/2022 More Minnesotans will soon qualify for food assistance program
- 6/8/2022 Hunger-relief organizations call on lawmakers to hold special session
- 6/7/2022 As inflation’s impact deepens, ‘hungriest summer’ could be ahead for Minnesota families
- 6/1/2022 Food shelves face emptier shelves than ever amid skyrocketing demand for services
- 5/4/2022 'We're in danger of running out of food.' Higher prices and demand squeeze food banks
- 4/14/2022 'Taste like home': Food program offers free, culturally specific meals for people in need
- 4/7/2022 Second Harvest Heartland Sees Big Need for Volunteers
- 4/7/2022 How Allison O’Toole Of Second Harvest Heartland Is Helping To Address The Growing Challenge Of Food Insecurity
- 4/1/2022 Neighbors in need: Inflation squeezes Minnesota food banks
- 3/17/2022 Second Harvest Heartland encourages Minnesotans to support neighborhood food shelves during FoodShare
- 2/12/2022 How Inflation Slammed the Hungry—and the Food Banks That Help Them
- 1/15/2022 Twin Cities nonprofits face critical shortages of volunteers amid omicron surge
- 1/2/2022 America’s Hunger Pandemic Is Getting Worse