September is Hunger Action Month, and you can help provide much-needed meals for those who count on us for support. In partnership with Cub Foods, Malt-O-Meal, Snapple and 5 Eyewitness News, we can make a difference.

Here are three easy ways you can take action this September:

1. Make a donation. Snapple is matching all online gifts up to $50,000! Donate now >>

2. Give a Little, Feed a Lot at Cub Foods. Make a cash donation at the register, or purchase a Cub Community Cupboard Bag that benefits your local food shelf. Find your local Cub store >>

3. Feed others, feed yourself.

For every Malt-O-Meal brand cereal or Better Oats brand instant oatmeal purchased during Hunger Action Month, the Malt-O-Meal Company will make a food donation, with a goal to donate one million servings of breakfast to families in Minnesota. Get your Malt-O-Meal brand cereal or Better Oats brand instant oatmeal at your local Cub store.

Also, Snapple and Grammy award-winning pop-rock band Maroon 5 have partnered to launch “Tea Will Be Loved” – a delicious blend of healthy green tea and tasty black tea with notes of pomegranate and berries. Purchases of the tea will benefit Feeding America. Inspired by the unique personalities of the band members and named for their smash-hit “She Will Be Loved,” this limited release Snapple tea will be available at participating retailers’ nationwide beginning in September. Get your bottle of “Tea Will Be Loved” at your local Cub store.

Watch the video PSA below and visit the Hunger Action Month MN website to learn more!

“What’s so hard is watching families who are working so hard—they’re working jobs, they’re earning money, and their dollars just don’t go far enough.”

-Dr. Megan Sandel, Boston Medical Center

Last week, ABC World News issued a report on the prevalence of child hunger in America. At Second Harvest Heartland, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in need…and we know that today, 40% of the people we serve are children under the age of 18.  According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, the number of children living in poverty in the U.S. is up nearly 20% from 2000.

Watch the video from ABC World News below, and as always, thank you for your support of hunger-relief for children and their families in our communities.

In July of 2009, Second Harvest Heartland teamed up with the Minneapolis Farmers Market to collect produce from vendors and shoppers during the growing season. The collaboration quickly caught the attention of Market-goers, growers and the media—all of whom recognize the importance of delivering fresh produce to our neighbors in need.

Since then, we’ve collected 124 tons of fresh produce from donors and growers at the Market, and hope to continue to grow the program…but we need your help.

The Mosaic Company has stepped up in a big way in support of this summer’s donation program at the market: they’re offering $2,500 gifts for every full volunteer slot during 24 weeks this summer (three shifts per Sunday). That means you can help us raise $7,500 in support of our neighbors in need by offering your time!

But that’s not all…

You can help make an even bigger impact by supporting Fellowship of the Fresh with social media activities. The Mosaic Company has also offered a generous $5,000 match for activities completed. It’s as easy as $1, $2, $3!
Tweet it for $1

Just use the hashtag #getfreshforthehungry in your tweet, and Mosaic will donate $1. Tweet now >>

Facebook it for $2

“Like” us on Facebook or “like” or comment on any post. Go to our Facebook page >>

Scan it for $3
Use your smartphone to take a photo of the QR code below now, or at the Minneapolis Farmers Market on Sundays.

When the Minnesota state government shut down at midnight, our hungry neighbors were put at even greater risk of hunger.

• Unemployment rates will temporarily increase, putting extra strain on families.
• Some Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sites are being forced to close, as the host schools rely on government funding to run summer programs.
• Meal programs that rely on government funding are being forced to shut down.

You can help ease the strain on affected families by:

• Fundraising on behalf of Second Harvest Heartland or another local hunger-relief organization on our GiveMN campaign. To donate directly to Second Harvest Heartland, click here. To create your own fundraiser on behalf of Second Harvest Heartland or another hunger-relief organization (any 501c3) click here and click “Fundraise” in the “Join this team” box on the right.
• Spreading the word about the shutdown impact on Minnesota families on Facebook or Twitter. Use hashtag #mnshutdown to track the conversation, and use the URL http://bit.ly/mnhunger to save characters when directing to the GiveMN campaign.
• Bringing food directly to your local food shelf.

Feel free to contact us at any time with questions. Thanks for your support during this difficult time for so many of our neighbors.

Bremer Bank’s annual Taking Action Against Hunger campaign wraps up Thursday. Don’t miss your chance to double your impact by getting your gift matched today!

Donate Now >>

Again this year, Second Harvest Heartland has teamed up with the Minnesota Vikings, Target and ConAgra to work with the Minnesota Department of Education to help facilitate the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) in Minnesota and help bring more meals to more kids.

You’ve heard the stats; 80% of kids in need will go without summer access to free or reduced-price lunch like those they access during the school year. When kids miss meals and go hungry, there are proven, devastating effects that can last a lifetime. We know from the Cost/Benefit Hunger Impact Study that hungry kids have a heightened propensity for having isolating or anti-social behaviors, tend to have lower math scores, are twice as likely to repeat a grade and three times as likely to be suspended from school.

Join us this year in support of the Summer Food Service Program, and ultimately in support of kids in our community who desperately need our help.

• Share the Summer Lunch Map with a family you know who might be in need, or with someone you know who works with families and kids in need.
• Help spread the word. Volunteer with Second Harvest Heartland to help canvass neighborhoods near established meal sites.
• Start a Share Your Lunch Drive with your friends, at work or in the neighborhood. Every $10 you raise will provide more than a meal-a-day for a child or working parent in need this summer.

For more information about our work with the Summer Food Service Program, simply click here.

1 in 8 Minnesota children is at risk of hunger. And this summer, 80% of the kids who receive nutrition assistance during the school year won’t access the meals they need to stay strong and healthy. But there’s something you can do.

Start a Share Your Lunch Drive today! Create a fundraising page in minutes, and we’ll mail you a kit to help run your drive at your workplace, school or even around the neighborhood. Anyone can do it.

Every $10 you raise provides more than a meal a day for a month for a child or family in need this summer. You can make a huge impact!

Start your drive now.

Second Harvest Heartland’s Food Rescue program collects produce, dairy, meat, bakery and shelf-stable items from more than 100 area retailers each week, and distributes it same- or next-day to our more than 1,000 partners—food shelves, soup kitchens and other programs. In 2010, we collected and distributed more than 12 million pounds of food through the program—a 92% increase over the year prior.

Check out Julie Siple’s story about Food Rescue, published today, on mpr.org.

Sincere thanks to all of our friends who supported the work of Second Harvest Heartland at Thursday’s Dish: Cuisine for Change at the Saint Paul RiverCentre. The event attracted almost 1,000 people and raised more than $500,000. We are humbled and grateful to our sponsors, restaurants, auction donors, individual attendees and other supporters for the incredible generosity displayed that evening. Thank you!

Whether you were able to attend or not, we invite you to download a recipe booklet from this year’s participating restaurants—The Strip Club Meat & Fish, Kincaid’s, Oceanaire and more.

Download the Recipe Booklet Now >>

Check out the latest edition of Stories of Hope, the quarterly newsletter from Second Harvest Heartland, featuring:

• Kick Hunger Day results
• The Heart of the Heartland – a photo essay from a great volunteer, and
• An inside look at the Community Organizing project with Diana Madsen