Minnesota's Second Harvest Heartland, one of the largest food banks in the country, is launching a "moonshot goal" to cut the state's growing hunger problem in half by 2030.
The Twin Cities nonprofit's new "Make Hunger History" plan, announced Monday, includes pushing for more anti-poverty programs at the State Capitol as well as boosting outreach to connect low-income residents to more social services.
"We knew and know we need to be bolder," Second Harvest CEO Allison O'Toole said. "We have to do something different."
The Brooklyn Park nonprofit's new plan comes at a time when hunger is growing in Minnesota, with food shelves documenting a record 7.5 million visits in 2023. Second Harvest's new plan — which will cost the organization an estimated $150 million over the next six years — aims to reduce those food shelf visits in half, returning the state closer to 2019 levels.
"We've all seen how people can step up when we're in a crisis. We're in a crisis," O'Toole said. "This is one of the biggest issues facing our state right now and we need everyone at the table."
Food shelf visits dipped slightly in 2021 as Minnesotans' budgets were bolstered by special pandemic-related financial aid — from federal stimulus checks to the expanded child tax credit and extra food stamp benefits. When that extra financial aid evaporated, lines at food shelves returned.
That's why Second Harvest will push for new state funding to support low-income Minnesotans and increase outreach in an effort to help prevent hunger in the first place, O'Toole said.
"When we were all at the table during the pandemic, I think we kept the worst of hunger at bay," she said. "When everyone kind of went back to business as usual, it started to skyrocket again ... What we've learned during the pandemic is that we have to think differently, and when we do, it works."
The organization's plan, which aims to end food insecurity in Minnesota, has drawn some skeptics in the nonprofit sector.
"They've tried things like that in the past and they haven't been as successful as they hoped," said Colleen Moriarty, executive director of Hunger Solutions Minnesota, adding that they have "lofty goals," though they're headed in the right direction.
'Make Hunger History'
Second Harvest Heartland is one of seven food banks in Minnesota that buy and collect surplus food from farmers and grocery stores to distribute to food shelves.
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Categories: Minnesota, Business, Harvesting