Annual campaign to support Minnesota food shelves begins

(ABC 6 News) – Minnesota FoodShare March is an annual campaign, bringing communities together to support their neighbors who are facing food insecurity.

Executive Director of Channel One Regional Food Bank, Virginia Merritt, explains it’s a time to “stock the shelves of food shelves in Minnesota with both funding and food.”

According to Hunger Solutions Minnesota, Minnesotans made over five million visits to food shelves in 2022, setting a new annual record.

Channel One says the need in our area is growing.

“We are seeing 30% more shoppers in our food shelf than we ever have, and we’re hearing a lot of other food shelves saying the same thing,” says Jessica Sund, Director of Development and Communications. “So, there is an increase in need, because of inflation, SNAP benefits ending, and we, as food shelves, need that extra support.”

Outside of the holiday season, this campaign is one of the biggest fundraising times of the year for food shelves.
“Our number one source of funding is through individuals,” says Merritt. “March FoodShare really brings to the public eye food insecurity outside of the holiday time and highlights food insecurity and helps us prepare for the busiest time of year which is traditionally summer when children aren’t receiving school meals.”

ABC 6 News is proud to bring the community its Feed the Need campaign for the entire month of March in effort to put a stop to hunger in our region. March is Minnesota FoodShare Month which means non-perishable food and monetary donations help food shelves qualify for additional funding.

For more on the Feed the Need campaign, visit HERE.