The Food Group in New Hope: Need for Food Will Only Increase

The Food Group in New Hope is busy, working to help more than 170 food shelves get the food they need. Small groups of 10 people are urged to volunteer, and donations of money are appreciated. Executive director Sophia Lenarz-Coy believes the need for food will only increase in the coming months.

The Food Group in New Hope serves more than 170 food shelves in the Twin Cities metro area.

“Right now, the need is high and it’s only going to get higher,” says Lenarz-Coy. “We are hearing from food shelves that so many people were working to stock their pantries. If you are on a limited food budget, stocking up is impossible. Our food shelves were very busy at the beginning of this crisis, and with the rising unemployment numbers, those needs are just going to get higher.”

Volunteers in hunger relief are considered essential workers. The Food Group has been working with public health professionals to get safety protocols in place. Volunteers can practice social distancing in the warehouse.

“Groups of up to 19 not only can come, but we need them to. We have to get food packed up in our warehouse and to the people who need it,” said Lenarz-Coy.

Lenarz-Coy says financial support is needed now more than ever.

“We can use our buying power to get a lot more food with the money,” said Lenarz-Coy. “As much as we love food drives and donations of food, donations of money can allow us to purchase pallets from wholesalers. We can focus on highly-nutritious and culturally relevant foods, which is what people are asking for right now.”

More About The Food Group

The Food Group is a food bank located in New Hope that help food shelves all over the Twin Cities. The nonprofit offers affordable retail programs called Fare for All and Twin Cities Mobile Market. They also operate a CSA farm. Learn more about the organization here.

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