Final Push: Nonprofits Rally for FoodShare Month
Food shelves are entering their last few weeks in the push for donations and food for FoodShare month. Food shelves are experiencing unprecedented need due to the pandemic, and FoodShare month during March and part of April is one of the largest fundraising efforts of the year.
Interfaith Outreach
Interfaith Outreach, which serves the Plymouth area, has served more than 800 additional families this year.
“We know with the pandemic facing out community, it was disproportionately impacted low-income workers and people of color,” explained Interfaith Outreach’s Liz Erstad-Hicks. “Here in Minnesota, we know hunger used to be 1 in 11 households. Now we are up to one in nine.”
For FoodShare Month, Interfaith Outreach hopes to raise $200,000 plus food to restock their food shelves. They have also planned a one-day event to collect food items.
To learn more about Interfaith Outreach’s efforts, click here.
PRISM
PRISM in Golden Valley serves several suburbs.
They have a goal of 350,000 combined pounds and dollars and are collecting cash plus food and hygiene items until April 11 to go toward the FoodShare goal.
The items most needed in the food shelf include flour, sugar, cooking oil, peanut butter and jelly, pasta and sauce, canned tuna and chicken, baby food, personal hygiene items, and cash donations.
“When you think of donating to a food shelf, you think of canned peas, peanut butter, your staples,” said Alisha Olson from PRISM. “One of the things we try to do at PRISM is make it a holistic shopping experience so it’s like going to any other grocery store.”
The food shelf held a large diaper drive in February. You can find out more about how they are raising funds for FoodShare month here.
Boxes stacked up from PRISM’s Diaper Drive in February.
CEAP
CEAP, which serves in Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park, has an anonymous donor matching up to $50,000 worth of donations. They also hope to raise several pounds of food and have collaborated with local churches and organizations to host food drives.
“The things I stress go beyond shelf-stable foods. It’s hygiene items, diapers, baby wipes and baby food,” said Jack Elsnes from CEAP. “The CEAP community challenge is our second largest fundraising challenge of the year, beyond the holiday challenge.”
The challenge extends through the first few weeks of April.
To learn more about CEAP’s efforts, click here.
Brooklyn Center | Brooklyn Park | Crystal | Golden Valley | Maple Grove | New Hope | Osseo | Plymouth | Robbinsdale
