The Summer Challenge: Harnessing the Power of Collective Giving
We know what you’re thinking, How can it already be July?! At Open Your Heart (OYH), July is more than midsummer, it is the beginning of the Summer Challenge. For the last 17 years, OYH has partnered with food shelves across the state to help bridge the gap they experience in the summer: An increase in demand and a decrease in donations. The Summer Challenge helps fill this gap by raising awareness and providing proportional matching grants to participating food shelves for the funds they raise during the month of July.
This year we are partnering with 70 Minnesota food shelves to harness the power of collective giving. The Summer Challenge unites communities from International Falls to Albert Lea, from Montevideo to Duluth. You can view our comprehensive, A-to-Z directory of participating food shelves HERE.
A recent article in the Star Tribune cited that in addition to experiencing five years in a row of annual record visits, Minnesota food shelves have “logged three of the four busiest months ever recorded. On the whole, from January through April, food shelf visits are up 7% compared to the same period in 2025.” This record-high demand is compounded by cuts to SNAP or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as well as the onset of summer and children home from school.
The good news is that you can help! In the spirit of this year’s World Cup, join us in Kicking Hunger Together this July. Here’s how you can make a difference:
Pass the Ball: Donate to one of the participating food shelves.
Join the Squad: Set up a monthly giving pledge to support Summer Challenge and OYH so food shelves have access to fresh, nutritious food.
Score a Goal: Every dollar you donate directly impacts local families in need!
Community Impact Grantee Highlights: Aitkin Youth Center “Support from organizations like Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless makes it possible for us to continue creating opportunities for young people to learn, grow, build confidence, and develop positive connections within our community.” – Megan Cummings, Aitkin Youth Center Executive Director
Because of your generosity, OYH recently provided funding for personal care items, bedding, winter clothing for minors, and gas cards for families experiencing homelessness in Aitkin, Minnesota. Your generosity helps ensure that every young person who walks through the door at Aitkin Youth Center feels supported, valued, and empowered to succeed.
Recently, OYH funding helped HOPE’s Haven program provide survivors of domestic violence with hotel vouchers so individuals and families in Goodhue and Wabasha Counties have a safe place to stay while they wait for a shelter bed or for legal protections to be secured. Because of your generosity, domestic abuse survivors who turn to HOPE Coalition in Red Wing after verbal, physical, and emotional abuse have hope for the future again.