The Food Group

Minnesota's biggest giving day is coming up on Thursday, November 20, but you don't have to wait to make a difference—early giving for Give to the Max Day is officially open! As early giving begins, half a million Minnesotans will have a delay in accessing SNAP and may not receive their full benefits in November. 💚 Every dollar you give in November becomes FOUR nourishing meals for local families in need. 🍽️ 🍽️ 🍽️ 🍽️ Give TODAY on GiveMN to DOUBLE your impact: https://ow.ly/NQMP50XlcKX 🚩 Match Alert: Your gift today makes double the difference for families in need thanks to a generous match from our partners at Manitou Fund! #GiveToTheMaxDay #MinnesotaGives #DoubleYourImpact #FoodForAll

Our Fall Newsletter is here! 🍂 Get the latest on how we're increasing food access for individuals with disabilities, harnessing the power of local food, and meeting the need in rural communities. ➡️ Read the full impact stories now: https://ow.ly/VgNu50XhQSU #NourishingChange #FoodAccess #CommunityImpact

Thank You for Doubling Your Impact! We're so excited to share that thanks to your incredible generosity, we met our $28,375 match from our generous board of directors! 🥳 Your support is helping us keep food shelves stocked and families fed. #ThankYou #CommunitySupport #FoodForAll

There are many ways to help as Minnesotans face higher levels of food insecurity in November due to the government shutdown impacting SNAP benefits. This article has some great ideas for how you can help fill the gap including donating to local food shelves and regional food banks, volunteering your time, and supporting hunger relief organizations serving rural communities that may have fewer food shelves and limited resources. Read the full coverage here: https://ow.ly/B2wR50XkFFM

October's Food of The Month is green cabbage! Zoua Lee and Lee Tou are a mom and daughter duo operating Mom’s Garden; a small farm within Big River Farms. 💚 This past season was their fifth season farming. They grow many different vegetable crops including, cucumbers, swiss chard, winter squash, tomatoes and green cabbage. This year we have been able to purchase produce from them for our Twin Cities Mobile Market. Their green cabbage has been a popular choice for customers. In the future Lee Tou hopes to purchase her own farmland. You can find them at the Kingsfield and Mill City Farmers Markets or with your donations we can continue to supply our affordable grocery programs with local produce from emerging farmers! ➡️ Make your gift here: https://ow.ly/fmPb50XhOVa #FreshProduce #EmergingFarmers #LocalFoods #FoodOfTheMonth

📣 Rhonda Elstad, a member of The Food Group’s Lived Experience Leadership Cohort, and Executive Director Sophia Lenarz-Coy spoke with The Minnesota Star Tribune about the impact of the federal government shutdown for SNAP participants in Greater Minnesota. “It’s taking away a huge chunk of people’s dignity, and you’re going to see people suffering,” said Rhonda, who relies on the federal food benefit she receives at the beginning of every month. ➡️ Read the full coverage here: https://ow.ly/jPo450XjV3G #ProtectSNAP #SNAPBenefits #FoodSecurity #FederalShutdown

Participants at The Food Group’s affordable grocery programs will now have access to even more fresh, local produce! 🥳 The Food Group recently kicked off a new project with a dual focus—partnering with local emerging farmers and bringing fresh, nutritious food to Minnesota communities through our affordable grocery programs, 🍅 Fare for All and 🥬 Twin Cities Mobile Market. ➡️ Read more: https://ow.ly/V6Ra50XjpiJ #AffordableGrocery #FreshProduce #LocalFarmers #FoodAccess

📣 Triple Your Impact When You Give Monthly ‼️ Now is the perfect time to join our Monthly Nourisher Circle. For a limited time, a generous donor will TRIPLE every new monthly gift — or any increase to an existing monthly gift — for your first 12 months of giving. That means your steady support will go three times further to provide healthy meals for local families most in need. 🍎 Join the Monthly Nourisher Circle today! ➡️ Select “recurring gift” under “gift type” when you give online: https://ow.ly/rFKp50XhOcR 📧 For help setting up a monthly gift or increase your current monthly gift, contact Abbie at ajoseph@thefoodgroupmn.org #MonthlyGiving #TripleYourImpact #NourisherCircle #SupportLocalFamilies

📣 Minnesota Announces $4 Million for Minnesota Food Shelves in Response to November SNAP Benefit Gap This morning, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced $4 million in emergency one-time funding for Minnesota’s food shelves. The funding comes in response to the anticipated loss of November SNAP benefits for 440,000 Minnesotans. Minnesota food shelves are working hard on the frontlines of this emergency, delivering food to those who need it most. Many food shelves are already seeing increased visits in anticipation of a benefit gap, and these funds will increase their capacity to meet urgent community needs. The Food Group is thrilled that Minnesota is stepping up to support food shelves during this food access crisis. We are excited to partner with the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Family in distributing these funds quickly to food shelves statewide. While this support is critical, state food shelves cannot fill the $70 million gap in SNAP benefits for November. We will continue to advocate for the release of the USDA’s $5 billion in SNAP contingency funds. ➡️ Take Action Now: https://ow.ly/cZTS50XiyG8 #SNAPBenefits #FoodSecurity #ProtectSNAP

The Food Group Executive Director, Sophia Lenarz-Coy sat down with Esme Murphy at WCCO | CBS News Minnesota to talk about how the loss of November SNAP benefits will impact nearly half a million Minnesotans who rely on the program and strain Minnesota’s food shelves responding to rising need statewide. ➡️ Watch the full coverage here: https://ow.ly/xyRW50XivIu #SNAPBenefits #FoodSecurity #ProtectSNAP