Minnesota food shelves to receive help from COVID relief funds

On Monday, Governor Tim Walz announced $5 million in new funding to put food on tables across the state. With the holidays approaching, local food shelves in Minnesota continue to see a demand for their services. The money comes from the remaining American Rescue Plan fund that was created to help families struggling in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“All Minnesotans deserve to sit around a full table and spend time with loved ones during the holidays,” said Governor Walz in an earlier release. “Minnesotans are generous people who do their part to ensure their neighbors have what they need – and this funding will go a long way to supporting those efforts. I’m grateful for our partnership with organizations working to tackle food insecurity and distribute these funds quickly.”

Governor Walz made the announcement and joined volunteers to stock shelves at the Neighborhood House food shelf in St. Paul.

Second Harvest Northland is one of our local food shelves. This organization works across a 15-county service area in Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin. According to the Second Harvest Northland website, they have distributed nearly 10.3 million meals across their coverage area and 70,000 people have received food assistance through the food bank and its partners. Organizers say for every $1 donated, they can provide three meals.

Food shelves will be able to apply for a portion of the $5 million in funding, which will be tracked to ensure it reaches the families most in need.

Learn more about Second Harvest Northland and to donate.

Funding is authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act and will support food shelves amid increased visits and strains on the emergency food system. Funding will also support eligible Tribal Nations and American Indian Food Sovereignty grantees. The Department of Children, Youth, and Families will partner with The Food Group to distribute funds to food shelves across the state.

The state needs to allocate another $6 million in American Rescue Plan money before it expires at the end of the year. The Walz administration will announce where that money will go later this week.