Mom, What’s for Lunch? One in Five Minnesota Moms Doesn’t Always Know the Answer to that Simple Question
St. Paul, Minnesota (PRWEB) July 01, 2013 -- Today, Hunger Solutions Minnesota and Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless announce the launch of the fourth Annual Food Shelf Summer Challenge. This grant program provides matching supplemental dollars to food shelves’ fundraising activities in July. Minnesota food shelves have raised over $3,000,000 the past three years with this grant. This summer, Open Your Heart has increased the Challenge to $150,000 (from $100,000) because food shelves are responding to record demands. Over 160 Minnesota food shelves are participating in the challenge this month.
One in five families with children in Minnesota faces hunger or food insecurity. This means that children do not always receive three meals a day or sometimes skip meals. Much of this happens on the weekends and during summer vacation when there is no access to free or reduced school meals.
Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless believes this approach to hunger alleviation is effective because it brings communities together to solve a growing concern across Minnesota. The $150,000 Challenge will power a statewide initiative that leverages Open Your Heart funding. The program is designed to bring additional dollars to food shelves and increase awareness of child hunger during the summer. Open Your Heart also funds the purchase and transfer of more than one million pounds of fresh produce, meat and dairy products every year through Hunger Solutions Minnesota.
“For children, there is nothing quite like summer in Minnesota. It’s a time for fun with family and friends. But sadly, for far too many families across the state, summer is a time when hunger peaks. With children home and not receiving school meals, family budgets are stretched. At Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless, we believe that no child in Minnesota should have to worry where their next meal is coming from. That is why we are teaming up with Hunger Solutions and food shelves across the state in the annual Summer Challenge to be sure that all children have enough nutritious food to eat,” said Ed Murphy, Executive Director of Open Your Heart.
During summer vacation, about 36,000 children a week in Minnesota eat lunch via the federally funded Summer Food Service Program. That represents only 14 out of every 100 eligible children. There are barriers to food access for low-income children in greater Minnesota. One of the main barriers is transportation, especially in counties with small populations spread out across large distances.
Grass roots organizations like food shelves have a unique ability to address the food needs of children in our communities. Each summer, Minnesota food shelves help families fill this nutritional gap, but this is during the season when donations are at their lowest so access to this additional grant money is important.
In 2012, there were 1.3 million child visits to food shelves. That reflects a 66 percent increase since 2007. According to Children’s Defense Fund Minnesota, child poverty in Minnesota increased slightly in the past year to 194,000 children living in poverty, and nearly 30 percent more children live in poverty now than in 2005.
Colleen Moriarty, Executive Director of Hunger Solutions Minnesota, said “I am concerned about low-income families this summer. The food shelves need a financial boost so they are able to meet this stepped-up demand to have additional child-friendly grocery items available.”
Every dollar raised by a food shelf can purchase four pounds of food from a Second Harvest Food Bank, while a $25 donation will buy 100 pounds of food which equals 77 meals for the hungry.
Participating Food Shelves
Akeley/Nevis Community Food Shelf
Salvation Army Albert Lea
Annandale Community Food Shelf
ACBC –Anoka
Brotherhood-Council
Aurora-Hoyt Lakes-Biwabik-Area Food Shelf
Avon Food Shelf, Inc.
Lake of the Woods Food Shelf – Baudette
Bemidji Community Food Shelf
Swift County Food Shelf – Benson
Big Lake Community Food Shelf
CEAP Anoka County – Blaine
Manna Market Ministry – Blaine
Food in the Hood – Bloomington
VEAP – Bloomington
Salvation Army Brainerd Lakes
CEAP Brooklyn Center
Buffalo Food Shelf
Fruit of the Vine – Burnsville
360 Communities – Burnsville
Dakota County Foodshelf – Burnsville
SEMCAC Caledonia
Family Pathways Cambridge Food Pantry
North Anoka County Emergency Food Shelf, Inc - Cedar
Salvation Army Cloquet
Southern Anoka Community Assistance – Columbia Heights
Friends In Need Food Shelf – Cottage Grove
North Country Food Shelf – Crookston
Cuyuna Range Food Shelf – Crosby
Crosslake Food Shelf
Deer River Area Food Shelf
Becker County Food Pantry - Detroit Lakes
CHUM Emergency Food Shelf – Duluth
Fruit of the Vine the Vineyard Church Community Food Shelf – Duluth
Hermantown Area Food Shelf – Duluth
Union Gospel Mission Duluth Food Shelf
Eagan & Lakeville Resource Center
PROP – Eden Prairie
Community Aid Elk River
Emily Emergency Food Shelf
Emergency Food Pantry--Fargo-Moorhead
YMCA Cass/Clay Counties – Fargo
Floodwood Area Food Shelf
CROSS Center for Benton County – Foley
Family Pathways Forest Lake
Loaves and Fishes Food Shelf – Fosston
Garrison Area Caregivers Food Shelf
Sibley County Foodshare – Gaylord
McLeod Emergency Food Shelf – Glencoe
PRISM - Golden Valley
Salvation Army Grand Forks
Grand Rapids Food Shelf
Grygla-Gatzke Food Shelf
Hastings Family Service Food Shelf
REACH Food Pantry – Hawley
Salvation Army Hibbing
Family Pathways Hinckley
Hugo Good Neighbors Food Shelf
Falls Hunger Coalition – International Falls
Salvation Army International Falls
Jacobson Food Shelf
Janesville Food Shelf
SEMCAC Dodge County – Kasson
All Seasons Food Shelf – Kenyon
Family Pathways Lindstrom Food Pantry
Long Prairie Emergency Food Pantry
Longville Food Shelf
Rock County Emergency Food Shelf – Luverne
Helping Hands Emergency Services - Mahnomen
Mahtomedi Area Food Shelf
ECHO Food Shelf – Mankato
Maple Plain Area Food Shelf
Maple River Loaves and Fishes – Mapleton
Salvation Army Lakewood Corp – Maplewood
Milaca Area Pantry
Brian Coyle Community Center-Minneapolis
Emergency Food Shelf Calvary Lutheran Church – Minneapolis
CAPI USA's Asian Specific Food Shelf - Minneapolis
Salvation Army Center City Food Shelf – Minneapolis
Centro Emergency Latino Food Shelf – Minneapolis
Community Emergency Service - Minneapolis
DIW Horizons Unlimited – Minneapolis
Glendale Food Shelf – Minneapolis
Good Works Food Shelf – Minneapolis
Groveland Emergency Food Shelf – Minneapolis
Jericho Road Ministries – Minneapolis
NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center - Minneapolis
Sabathani Community Center Food Shelf – Minneapolis
Salvation Army Minneapolis Central Corp
Salvation Army Minneapolis Parkview Corp
Salvation Army Temple Corp Food Shelf –Minneapolis
Shelf of Hope Gethsemane – Minneapolis
ICA Center at St. David – Minnetonka
Chippewa County Food Shelf – Montevideo
Monticello Food Shelf
Dorothy Day Food Pantry – Moorhead
Moose Lake Area Food Shelf
Stevens County Food Shelf – Morris
Westonka Food Shelf – Mound
Ralph Reeder Food Shelf – New Brighton
NEAR Food Shelf – New Hope
New Richland Area Food Shelf
Family Pathways North Branch Food Pantry
North St. Paul Area Food Shelf
Community Action Center of Northfield
Ogilvie Food Shelf
Family Pathways Onamia Food Pantry
Steele County Food Shelf, Inc – Owatonna
Hubbard County Emergency Food Shelf – Park Rapids
Pelican Rapids Community Food Shelf
Perham Community Food Shelf
Pine Community Food Shelf – Pine City
Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners – Plymouth
SEMCAC Preston
Channel One Supplemental Food Shelf – Rochester
RiverWorks Food Shelf – Rockford
CROSS Food Shelf – Rogers
SEMCAC Rushford Food Shelf
Family Pathways Sandstone
CAP Agency Food Shelf – Shakopee
Springfield Area Food Shelf
St. Charles Food Shelf
Catholic Charities Emergency Services – St. Cloud
Salvation Army St. Cloud
Watonwan County Food Shelf – St. James
St. Louis Park Emergency Program
SPACC Department of Indian Work Food Shelf – St. Paul
Hallie Q. Brown Community Center – St. Paul
Keystone Community Services - St. Paul
Merrick Community Services Food Shelf – St. Paul
Neighborhood House Food Shelf – St. Paul
Salvation Army St. Paul Citadel Corp
Salvation Army St. Paul Eastside Corp
St. Peter Area Food Shelf
Staples Area Food Shelf
Valley Outreach-Stillwater
Thief River Falls Area Food Shelf
Salvation Army Virginia
Waconia United Food Shelf
Richland Wilkin Emergency Food Pantry – Wahpeton, ND
Walker Food Shelf
Warren Emergency Food Shelf
Warroad Food Pantry
Waseca Area Neighborhood Services
Wells Area Food Shelf
White Bear Lake Emergency Food Shelf
Willmar Area Food Shelf
Winona Volunteer Services Food Shelf
Christian Cupboard Emergency Food Shelf – Woodbury
Manna Food Pantry Inc. – Worthington
Worthington Christian Church Food Shelf
ABOUT HUNGER SOLUTIONS MINNESOTA
Hunger Solutions Minnesota (HSM) is a comprehensive hunger relief organization that works to end hunger in Minnesota. We take action to assure food security for all Minnesotans by supporting over 300 agencies that provide food to those in need, advancing sound public policy, and guiding grassroots advocacy. HSM advocates for the maximum use of all federal public nutrition dollars available and works to improve low income Minnesotans’ access to all nutrition programs. The HSM Minnesota Food HelpLine (1-888-711-1151) helps enroll low-income Minnesotans in SNAP (Food Stamps) and helps callers find emergency food assistance near their home. For further information, visit hungersolutions.org - Twitter @hungersolutions OR facebook.com/HungerSolutionsMinnesota
ABOUT OPEN YOUR HEART TO THE HUNGRY AND HOMELESS
Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless was founded in 1986 as a non-profit dedicated to working exclusively on issues of hunger and homelessness. They award grants to non-profits throughout Minnesota that provide crisis and transitional services to individuals experiencing hunger and homelessness. By providing vital tangible resources, Open Your Heart ensures that hunger and homeless organizations are able to focus their attention on helping people in crisis achieve stability. They also work to raise awareness of the issues impacting people facing hunger and homelessness and support initiatives that address these complex challenges. For more information, visit http://www.oyh.org/ or http://www.facebook.com/oyheart.
Jill Martinez, Hunger Solutions Minnesota, http://www.hungersolutions.org/, +1 (651) 789-9843, [email protected]
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