The United States is one of the richest nations in the world. Yet millions of our neighbors go hungry every day.
Today, 47 million people in this country, including 13 million children, face food insecurity, according to Feeding America and the USDA.
Over 50 million Americans turn to food banks for help. These numbers are staggering, but they’re more than statistics. They represent real people: families, elders, children, neighbors struggling to put food on the table.
Here in Minneapolis, hunger is not an abstract issue. It’s a lived reality for thousands of residents. The end of pandemic-era benefits, rising food costs, and loss of jobs have hit working families hard. And now, with the federal uncertainty of SNAP benefits, the crisis is deepening. More than 440,000 Minnesotans are at risk of losing access to vital food support.
The good news? Our community is stepping up.
From neighborhood food shares to grassroots gardens, Minneapolis is full of people who refuse to let anyone go hungry. Together, we can make a difference. One meal, one volunteer shift, one act of compassion at a time.
If you or someone you know needs food, there are trusted, welcoming places across the city ready to help.
LHENA Food Share – Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association
SpringHouse Ministries, 610 W. 28th St
2nd and 4th Saturdays, 10:30 a.m.–1 p.m. (Next: Nov. 22, Dec. 13)
3rd Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.–1 p.m. (Next: Nov. 19, Dec. 17)
The LHENA Food Share is for anyone in need of healthy groceries. Volunteers keep it running with care and consistency. You can donate funds at LHENA’s GoFundMe or sign up to volunteer by emailing joan@thewedge.org.
***
Source MN Food Shelf
2609 Stevens Ave, Minneapolis
Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m.–12 noon
Wednesdays, 3–6:30 p.m.
4th Saturdays, 9:30–11 a.m.
Source MN has been a reliable community hub for food access and care, offering groceries, support, and dignity for all who come through their doors.
***
East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI) Food Drive
511 East Franklin Ave, Minneapolis
Every Sunday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
EPNI’s Emergency Food Response is mobilizing to fill the SNAP gap, partnering with Hope Community, Midtown Phillips Neighborhood, and EPIC (East Phillips Improvement Coalition) to feed our community. Volunteers help with setup, packaging, and distribution every Sunday. Donations of dry goods, easy meals, and paper or plastic bags are accepted from 9–11 a.m. Food pickup is available 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
This effort is powered by love, sweat, and solidarity. It's a living example of what community looks like when we show up for each other.
Anyone can help.
Food insecurity is not someone else’s problem. It’s our collective responsibility. If you have enough, now is the time to help those who don’t.
You can donate food.
The Wedge Co-op has a drop-off box for the Groveland Food Shelf. Check Groveland’s website for donation guidelines.
Odd Mart is collecting nonperishable food, diapers, formula, detergent, and hygiene items for the Whittier Elementary food drive.
You can donate time.
Volunteer at LHENA’s Food Share or EPNI’s Sunday drives.
Reach out to local shelters, churches, and community centers. They always need extra hands.
You can donate funds.
Even small financial contributions make a big impact for food shelves and local pantries buying fresh produce and staples.
When we share what we have, everyone has enough.
We can grow hope from the ground up.
The fight for food justice is about more than hunger relief. It’s about empowerment, education, and sustainability.
This year, community gardens around Minneapolis have been thriving thanks to partnerships with Tamales y Bicicletas, the East Phillips Community Garden, and the Little Earth Farm.
Together, our neighbors are growing food for families, teaching youth how to cultivate the land, and strengthening our connections to one another.
Next season, the hope is to expand this work and build new raised beds at the Roof Depot site, continuing a vision for self-reliance and food sovereignty right here in Minneapolis.
But the seeds of change are also being planted in our schools.
At Ella Baker School in Uptown, middle school students are learning about food justice through an innovative elective class led by the Strong Mind Strong Body Foundation and Youth Community Journalism Institute, along with food expert Leslie Topness, EPNI food historian Willa Bartholomay, and science teacher Julia Gartzke.
The class, Food Justice Knowledge to Action, is supported by a Green Partners grant from Hennepin County and helps students explore where their food comes from, who grows it, and why access matters. Each week blends storytelling, art, and hands-on activities, from mapping neighborhood food resources to interviewing local "food heroes."
Students learn that food is identity, food is power, and food is a human right. They’re discovering that the act of growing, sharing, and eating food connects us to our ancestors, our community, and our planet.
As one student reflected, "Food justice isn’t just about eating. It’s about caring."
Now is the time to build a community table for all.
Food insecurity is not inevitable. It’s a solvable problem. We already have the resources, the knowledge, and the compassion. What we need is the will.
Every bag of rice, every garden bed, every dollar donated, every hour volunteered all matter.
This fall and winter, as the growing season winds down and the nights grow longer, let’s remember that our strength is in each other. Let’s organize, educate, and feed our neighbors.
Not out of charity, but out of solidarity.
When one person in our community goes hungry, we all lose. And when we share our food, we share our humanity.
As César Chávez once said, "The people who give you their food give you their heart."
Now is the time to give both, our food and our hearts, to build a city where everyone eats, everyone belongs, and everyone thrives.
Do whatever you can to help.
Together, we can make sure no one in Minneapolis goes hungry this winter.
We can keep growing hope. One meal, one garden, one act of kindness at a time.
For community food resources, visit the City of Minneapolis website.
Eric Ortiz lives in the Wedge with his family. He is executive director of the Strong Mind Strong Body Foundation, a national youth and community development nonprofit based in Minneapolis, and associate director of research for The Pivot Fund, a venture philanthropy organization that invests in community newsrooms serving underserved communities.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here