Open Cupboard
$8,000 | Oakdale
To support the purchase and installation of a walk-in freezer. This funding will greatly expand the Open Cupboard Food Shelf’s capacity to distribute frozen meat and other items through all their programs. The walk-in freezer will help Open Cupboard distribute more protein items and other frozen food items to the 4,000 households they serve each week.
Manna Market: Youthway Ministries
$4,000 | Blaine
Toward the purchase of a software program and corresponding products which will create enhanced processes to improve volunteer tracking and food distribution. A software program and corresponding necessities will increase Manna Market’s effectiveness in serving food-insecure individuals and families in Fridley, Wyoming, Anoka, Spring Lake Park, St. Francis, and Blaine, Minnesota.
Dakota Woodlands
$5,000 | Eagan
To purchase additional tables, chairs, and highchairs for the dining room. With the increased number of people in the emergency shelter, Dakota Woodlands is seeing higher attendance at mealtimes. Therefore, they want to ensure they have a spot in the dining room for everyone who wants one. These additional chairs and tables are key to helping all residents feel welcome at mealtimes by providing adequate seating for adults and their families.
Roseau Area Food Shelf Inc.
$6,700 | Roseau
Toward the purchase of a refrigerator. The refrigerator will allow Roseau Area Food Shelf Inc. to safely store a larger quantity and variety of refrigerated and frozen items as well as meeting the stocking standards which are a part of the Super Shelf model. This will greatly impact the food insecure residents of the Roseau area by providing staple food items like eggs, meat, dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables and grains.
ICA Food Shelf
$10,000 | Minnetonka
To purchase a commercial refrigerator and freezer for the newly opened ICA Market & Resource Center (MRC) within the Ridgedale YMCA. Commercial refrigeration and freezing units will allow ICA Food Shelf to store perishable items at the YMCA, offering a greater choice of healthy foods including protein, dairy, and fresh fruits and vegetables. The MRC will reduce food insecurity while also connecting community members to additional support that builds long-term economic stability.
Missions Inc. Programs
$3,698 | Plymouth
Funding toward the replacement of the residents’ refrigerator. Funding will help enhance nutrition and improve food safety at Mission Lodge, a supportive housing program for men and women with substance use disorder where at least 60% of those served are chronically homeless. The refrigerator removes barriers to nutrition when residents cannot eat at mealtime due to medical appointments or work schedules and increases the quantity of services by allowing for healthy evening snacks.
Bountiful Basket Food Shelf
$3,123 | Chaska
Funding toward produce display bins. Bountiful Basket Food Shelf is a choice-model food shelf located in Carver County serving low-income residents who are facing food insecurity. Upgrading the food shelf with new produce display bins and other items will not only provide a more welcoming environment but also help serve more people in need.
Rivers of Hope
$7,000 | Monticello
Funding toward financial support to victims/survivors of domestic violence. Funds will be used to provide survivors with the essentials they need to leave their abusive relationship and find safety in their lives. In these cases, Rivers of Hope provides direct client assistance in the form of gift cards, in-kind donations, phones, and at times rent or mortgage assistance. These donations have the impact of allowing the people they serve to take the next step in their journey of finding safety whether that is getting a place of their own or leaving the state to stay with family.
The Camden Collective
$2,840 | Minneapolis
Funding toward a pallet jack with scale and shelving units. For the past two years The Camden Collective has run a weekly, outdoor food distribution in the parking lot of a North Minneapolis Church. They want to move the distribution indoors and build a food shelf space which they can use to expand their opening hours. A pallet jack will enable The Camden Collective to move pallets around after they are delivered so they can get food inside with less physical exertion from staff and volunteers. Shelving units will increase indoor food shelf space.
Ruth’s House of Hope
$6,000 | Faribault
Funding to replace dressers (20) in all residents’ rooms. Ruth’s House, a domestic violence shelter, strives to make residents’ stays as comfortable, safe, and supportive as possible as they face significant change and challenges in building better lives. New coordinating dressers will be mounted safely to the walls and provide residents with inviting, comfortable, and safe placement of their clothing and other belongings.
Bridges of Hope
$4,800 | Brainerd
Funding to support purchasing 10 new mattresses and 14 bed frames. Bridges of Hope’s warming shelter currently has 10 full beds (mattress and frame) and 10 cushioned mats for guests experiencing homelessness to sleep on. On average, the shelter hosts nine guests per night but has seen a high of 19 since opening in mid-September. 10 additional beds will ensure a total of 20 guests have a place to sleep, and when the need is great, there are sleeping mats provided to ensure we are not turning guests away.
New Creation Lutheran Church – Mi CASA
$3,500 | Shakopee
Funding toward a pallet jack. Every month, Mi CASA offers drive-through food distribution to those in need in the Shakopee area. No registration or pre-registration is required, and it is free and open to everyone. A new pallet jack will help Mi CASA to complete their food donation activities in a safe and efficient way.
Akeley Regional Community Center (ARCCES)
$8,000 | Akeley
Funding toward an additional refrigerator and freezer. While staying at the shelter, victims of intimate partner violence should not and will not have to worry about where their next meal will come from or how they will feed their children. ARCCES has created a food program that is tailored to the individual needs of residents. All residents prepare their own meals resulting in greater satisfaction of meals and a drastic reduction in food waste. With additional storage, ARCCES can purchase a wider variety of foods at a deeply discounted cost through the local food bank resulting in greater meal satisfaction and food security for residents.
Southern MN Crisis Nursery
$1,000 | New Ulm
Funding to cover shelter support and children’s needs. Southern MN Crisis Nursery is a 24/7 shelter that provides care for up to 72 hours to children 0-12 whose parents are in a crisis situation–leaving an abusive relationship, mental health breaks, or facing homelessness. Funding will help the Southern MN Crisis Nursery continue to accept requests and not have to worry about the extra requests we have been receiving.
Our Saviour’s Community Services
$7,000 | Minneapolis
Funding to purchase and install two automatic door opener button systems at emergency shelter. These items will reduce safety risks and allow for a higher quality, more independent shelter experience for residents – especially those referred through Our Saviour’s new medical respite initiative who may use mobility aids.
People Serving People
$4,071 | Minneapolis
Funding toward a refrigerated work top and polyethylene cutting board surface. The People Serving People (PSP) family emergency shelter in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serves approximately 140,000 meals per year to homeless families. This grant will support their culinary team as they prepare, store, and distribute three hot, nutritious meals for each guest per day. With increased food storage and larger workspaces, staff will be able to decrease production time while maintaining quality, increasing capacity, and lowering operating costs.