According to the MN Emergency Food Shelf Network, 11% of the children served by Minnesota foodshelves are forced to skip a meal because there is not enough food at home and 43% of their parents skip meals too!!
The number of people being served by the food shelves in Minnesota has risen an astounding 45% in the past four years.
According to Second Harvest Heartland Surveys (click here to see full document), children are going hungry right here in Minnesota.
*An estimated 1 in 10 children in Minnesota lives in poverty and 1 in 3 qualifies for free and reduced lunches, based on low income guidelines.
*Last year, 2nd Harvest Food Bank distributed over 31 million pounds of food to their network of food shelves. It was a record year and even that level of food distribution was not enough.
*50% of the households that benefit from local foodshelves have at least one child under the age of 18.
*In 2007, there were more than 1.8 million visitors to local food shelves.
*The fastest group of food shelf clients are the working poor.....47% of those surveyed reported that paid employment is their major source of income.
*Over 1 in 10 seniors in the United States live in poverty.
Faces of Hunger
The faces of hunger look like you and me....they are your neighbors, friends, fellow churchgoers and co-workers. Watch these touching videos produced by the Second Harvest Foodbank. The first follows the stories of three Minnesotans that are clients at local food shelves and the second video shows the changing faces of hunger....the working middle class.
Online Hunger Resources
Second Harvest Heartland Second Harvest Heartland is the Upper Midwest's largest hunger relief organization with a mission to end hunger through community partnerships. The food bank solicits from manufacturers and producers, warehouses and distributes more than 41 million pounds of food this year to its 1,000+ including our very own CAER Food Shelf. It is a food bank (it distributes to the food shelves in its network).
Hunger Solutions Hunger Solutions Minnesota is a comprehensive hunger relief organization that works to end hunger in Minnesota. They take action to assure food security for all Minnesotans by supporting agencies that provide food to those in need, advancing sound public policy, and guiding grassroots advocacy. They also have a Minnesota Food Helpline to help people determine if they are eligible for public assistance.
Minnesota Hunger Partners Provides a comprehensive list to all of the hunger resources in Minnesota including some of those that we have listed here. If you are in need of emergency assistance, visit their website for more information.
Emergency Food Shelf Network The mission of the Emergency Foodshelf Network is to provide high quality food and essential support services to hunger relief programs in the community.
They do this by partnering to:
Maximize the sharing of food, resources, and systems support
Promote quality standards
Educate and advocate for the eradication of hunger
CAER is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit. All contributions are tax deductible (as allowed by law).
