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!

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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.

Stamp Out Hunger, the National Association of Letter Carriers’ (NALC) annual food drive that locally supports Second Harvest Heartland, is less than one month away!  On Saturday, May 14, over 2,000 letter carriers from throughout the Twin Cities will collect food at thousands of doorsteps for those in need. In 2010, we collected over 1.2 million pounds of food for our hungry neighbors and this year we hope to meet or exceed this number, but can’t do it without your help.

There are three different ways you can get involved:

1. Give Food
Place non-perishable food products in the bag you receive in your mailbox. Your letter carrier will do the rest!

2. Give Time
Volunteer at a local Cub Foods store, helping collect food. Click here to sign up for a shift!

3. Give Financially
Your financial contributions are of tremendous benefit to our neighbors in need. Donate online today.

To learn more about Stamp Out Hunger, click here.

The Canadian Pacific Holiday train will be pulling into St. Paul’s Lowertown this Saturday, December 11 at 7:15pm. This family-friendly community event is chance for you to check out the 14 rail cars that have been specially decorated with thousands of festive lights and help feed our hungry neighbors by bringing a cash or food donation for Second Harvest Heartland.

Plus, for even more of a holiday cheer, we will have a limited number of Holiday Train CDs, available for a recommended donation of $10. The CD features a number of ambassadors of the Holiday Train including: The Odds, Shaun Verrault, Melanie Doane and special guests the Barenaked Ladies.

For more details about the Holiday Train visit the Canadian Pacific website.

Check out this video to get a peek at the train and learn more about its journey.

While Vikings wide receiver Bernard Berrian may have his mind on the big Vikings-Packers game this weekend, he’s also planning for next week’s third annual turkey giveaway supporting Second Harvest Heartland!

Bernard’s generosity has resulted in more than $100,000 in donations to Second Harvest Heartland over the past three years—money that has helped provide Thanksgiving turkeys to hungry families in some of the neediest neighborhoods of Minneapolis. He is passionate about helping inner youth, and even more specifically, on ensuring that inner city youth have the good nutrition they need to succeed in school and life. Next week, Bernard and his friends will hand out 50 turkeys to families in need at Sabathani, a community center serving a culturally diverse population in South Minneapolis.

Because of Bernard’s support over the past few years, we’ve been able to provide the equivalent of 360,000 meals for our neighbors who may have otherwise not had food on Thanksgiving Day. Now that is something to be thankful for!

You can find more information about Bernard’s Turkey Drive here, or join him in his efforts by making a gift to Second Harvest Heartland.

Check out photos from last year’s event!

Next Tuesday, thousands of individuals from around the state of Minnesota will log on to GiveMN.org for The Great Minnesota Give Together—the second annual Give to the Max Day. Last year, more than $14 million was raised for Minnesota nonprofits— in just 24 hours! More than 1,200 people stepped up in support of Second Harvest Heartland, giving almost $200,000 in total. It was an incredible turnout, and a display of unparalleled generosity.

New this year: For every $1 given to Second Harvest Heartland through GiveMN on Tuesday, The Mosaic Company will match 100% up to $100,000! In addition, Mosaic will cover all transaction fees for the first $100,000 in gifts—enabling us to apply an incredible 200% of every dollar you give directly to our programs. Will you help us do even better this year? Click here to sign up to receive a reminder email Tuesday morning.

Check out the PSA from local celebrities below, including Minnesota Vikings defensive end and Second Harvest Heartland supporter, Ray Edwards.

“Will you give?”

Mississippi Market made a generous donation of 1,072 pounds of Thousand Hills beef to the Food Rescue Program in honor of the March Campaign.

Thanks to Mississippi Market’s generosity, Second Harvest was able to distribute this beef to our partner agencies. According to Thousand Hills, grass fed beef provides a memorable eating experience that has been earning growing acclaim among chefs and food writers across the country. It offers a savory, “beefier” taste, and is tender and juicy when prepared properly. Thousand Hills’ cattle are grown on family farms in the near Upper Midwest (MN, IA, WI, NE, SD)— none further away than an 8 hour drive. Raised using humane, sustainable farming practices, their cattle are free ranged on lush pastures during warmer months, and fed hay or pasture silage in winter. They are not shut in crowded, confined concrete feedlots.

Thanks to Mississippi Market and their customers for continuing to support the Food Rescue program, thereby providing more food for our neighbors in need!

This year, as Thanksgiving approached, I was decidedly thankful. For me and my household, 2009 was a bountiful year by any objective measure. However, both from my own circles as well as from news story after news story about the economy, it is painfully clear that the same was not true for many in MN and beyond.

So, when I as pushing my cart through the aisles of the grocery store, filling the cart with food for that one day, I couldn’t help but think about the statistic that impressed me most about Second Harvest Heartland when I first heard about the organization: that they turn every dollar donated into $9 worth of food to distribute.

Looking at my cart full of food (somewhere in the baking aisle), I came to a snap decision. For every dollar spent for my family gathering from the good year I had, I’d donate a matching dollar to Second Harvest, which they turn into nine dollars to help those who had more difficulty this year.

Once I decided, I’m fairly certain I started adding food to my cart with nearly reckless abandon. While I was feeding a fairly large group and for most of the day (not just the big meal), I was still startled when my cashier told me my total: $305.

However, I’m fairly certain she was even more startled when I grinned as I pulled out my wallet. I explained my plan to her as well as the 9:1 ratio from Second Harvest. As the giant receipt printed, she said she’d be telling other customers about the idea.

Over the next couple of days, I shared the idea with people over Twitter and in person. A few told me that they would join me on a different ratio or just giving a fixed donation and one quietly shared that their sister was actually someone who needed the help of a food shelf this year.

Earlier this week, I rounded my grocery bill up to $350 and made my donation. Based on that amazing ratio, Second Harvest will be able to distribute $3150 in food. After reflecting on the experience, I’m going to be doing this every Thanksgiving. Will you join me next year?

–
J Wynia
Minneapolis, MN
http://wynia.org

Tuesday, November 17 is “Give to the Max Day” on GiveMN, and that means your donations will be matched when made through our fundraising page on the GiveMN website.

The Saint Paul Foundation, Minneapolis Foundation and Bush Foundation have committed $500,000 in matching contributions to support community needs in Minnesota and to cover transaction fees so that 100% of all donations go to participating nonprofit organizations!

All you need to do is click here to visit the Second Harvest Heartland fundraising page on GiveMN. Donations made between 8:00 AM on Tuesday, November 17 and 8:00 AM Wednesday, November 18 will be matched!

Important: Donations made through our website will not be matched. You must make your donation via GiveMN to be eligible. Make your gift now!

Click the “ShareThis” link below to forward this info to your friends & family. Help us take advantage of this one-day match opportunity!