The Food Group

06/04/2026

Everyone deserves access to nutritious, culturally connected food, no matter where they live. Yet with the rising cost of gas, rent, and groceries, nutritious food has become hard for many families to afford. ✨ Read the blog to learn more about how the Market Bucks Program reduces barriers to fresh food, stimulates economies, AND supports local farmers. https://ow.ly/3Y1f50Z7C8p

Thanks to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota for stepping up last year to ensure continued access to healthy food through Market Bucks!

Everyone deserves access to nutritious, culturally connected food, no matter where they live. Research shows that good nutrition leads to better lifelong health outcomes, including lower rates of chronic disease and lower lifetime healthcare costs, roughly $1,800 less a year. Access to nutritious fo...

06/02/2026

For the past twelve years, a passionate community member has celebrated their birthday with an annual outdoor concert at Grumpy's Northeast and collected donations to benefit The Food Group. 🎂 ✨

Thanks to our host and 300 generous attendees, we were able to raise almost $8,000 toward free and affordable food for our neighbors who need it most. Thank you for your support! 💚

05/29/2026

The Food Group was honored to partner with postal workers and volunteers for the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive in May. With food shelf visits at a record high, it’s powerful to see our community working together to collect and deliver 41,822 pounds of food to our neighbors! 🥫

✨ Andrew, a Stamp Out Hunger volunteer, shared his experience with the event:
"Seeing everyone show up with so much energy and heart was incredibly meaningful. Events like this remind me how powerful community support can be and how proud I am to be part of The Food Group."

05/28/2026

This month, with the help of volunteers, we were able to put together over 500 Fresh Flavor Packs. These contained onions, garlic, and fresh ginger! 🫚 Ginger root is an herb indigenous to southeast Asia. It is commonly used in teas and as a supplement to potentially ease nausea related to pregnancy. It also adds flavor to many baked goods, soups, and curries. We are grateful to have been able to distribute this to our shelf partners. Help us continue packing food by volunteering with us! ✨ https://ow.ly/nHIK50Z4UbS

05/27/2026

📣 Our Spring Nourishing Change newsletter has arrived, packed with stories of resilience and community power. This season, we unpack the fears that create barriers to food security and immigrant food access—and show how your generosity is helping families overcome them. 🌱

Thank you for standing with us. https://ow.ly/t8zh50Z4PgK

05/22/2026

📣 Holiday Closure Notice: Our offices and programs will be closed on Monday, May 25th, in observance of Memorial Day. We honor the memory of those who served and wish everyone a safe, restful weekend. Normal operations will resume on Tuesday, May 26th.

05/20/2026

Our annual land blessing earlier this month felt like a massive family reunion bringing together new and returning farmers, staff, families, and partners in community. Thank you to everyone who joined us to share stories, learn from Elder LeMoine, and remind us that true resilience is as much about receiving joy and love as it is about giving. We are so grateful for this beautiful community. Looking forward to another growing season. 🌱✨

05/18/2026

📣 We did it‼️—The Food Group is thrilled to announce some big wins for hunger relief funding! Thanks to your advocacy, we secured $5 million in one-time funding for food shelves (on top of $4.6 million already allocated) and $5 million in one-time funding for food banks. Despite the challenging climate this session, we're proud to say that we worked together to keep food on more Minnesota tables.

✨Special thanks to our legislative champions: Erin Murphy, Senator Melissa Halvorson Wiklund, Dr. Alice Mann For MN State Senate, Senator Liz Boldon, Representative Lisa Demuth, State Representative Zack Stephenson, State Representative Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn, Rep. Nathan Coulter and Representative Steve Gander

05/15/2026

Farm Aid featuring voices of farmers, one of which is our Associate Farm Director, Pearce Jensen. 🥳

05/13/2026

With days left in the legislative session, lawmakers have a choice to make: Strengthen hunger relief or let more Minnesotans fall through the cracks. In a Star Tribune op-ed, Lisa Williams, a member of The Food Group's Lived Experience Leadership Cohort, shares her story—and why hunger relief funding can’t wait.

As Lisa put it, helping neighbors feed their families is just the right thing to do. Reach out to your elected officials NOW ⏰ and tell them to fund hunger relief: https://shorturl.at/zD6DE

Last year, 9 million Minnesotans turned to food shelves for help. But if nothing changes, they will receive 50% less funding next year, Lisa Williams writes.