On Monday, November 20, State leaders have announced $5 million in new funds for food shelves in Minnesota. According to Gov. Tim Walz’s administration, the funds are coming from the American Rescue Plan Act and will help seven regional food banks across the state. As the food banks are able to purchase more food, more food can be given to Neighborhood House and disbursed through our two cost-free food markets in St. Paul.
Cassie Kienbaum, Director of Food Support Programming at Neighborhood House spoke at the recent press conference, alongside Minnesota State leadership and other leaders: Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, Commissioner Jodi Harpstead, Second Harvest’s CEO Allison O’Toole.
Cassie shares in the video posted below the need that she sees everyday in the community.
“When people have to choose between budgeting for housing, transportation, utilities, medical bills, and food, food is where they sacrifice.”
Neighborhood House is now serving over 1,700 unique families in a month – nearly double the amount from this time last year.
In 2022, The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) products made up nearly 21 percent of the sourced food from Neighborhood House. Today it is down to just 12 percent, however the need for food support has more than quadrupled in the last year. Our costs have increased roughly $1.69 per person more than 2 years ago. This equates to an increase of nearly $7,000 per month on our budget.
At Neighborhood House our Food Support Program includes two free food markets, fresh produce distribution events, and other food support related services and assistance. We work hard to provide healthy, culturally appropriate and nutritious foods for our community.
Alison O’Toole from Second Harvest Heartland shared that Second Harvest Heartland’s meal output stands currently at 128 million for 2023, which is up from a record 113 million in 2022. Minnesotans made 5,505,100 visits to food shelves in 2022, a record high. This is nearly 2 million more visits than in 2021 and 1.7 million more than the previous record set in 2020.
“The economic recovery is uneven, and 61 percent of Americans are still living paycheck to paycheck,” O’toole shared. “That means more neighbors than ever before are facing food insecurity.”
At Neighborhood House, we believe that no one deserves to question where their next meal will come from, that is why food is one of our top priorities and these funds will make a difference for families in St. Paul and across the State.
