On March 4, WeCanEndThis.com was launched: a yearlong initiative to spark innovation and a broader engagement in the movement to end hunger in America. The project is a result of the partnership of Share Our Strength, Feeding America, Capital Area Food Bank of Texas, Mashable, PepsiCo, ConAgra Food Foundation, and Tyson Foods.

The first project is the Digital Can Drive, rewarding people for committing to take action. If you pledge to Give, Share or Volunteer on WeCanEndThis.com before March 18, you can help ensure Minnesota (or your state) gets a truckload of protein from Tyson Foods!

As I write this, Minnesota is in 10th place with 54 “Cans” pledged. Will you help spread the word, and help bring a truckload of protein to Minnesota for our hungry neighbors? The top 10 states will receive the product–so we need your help to stay above the “red line”!

Please help us spread the word!

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With your help, we can bring an entire truckload of food to Minnesota to help fill the tables at the homes of our hungry neighbors!

We’re thrilled with the success so far of the Pound for Pound Challenge, and the extent to which our community has stepped up! Second Harvest Heartland has been the leading food bank for most of the challenge, thanks to nearly 4,000 individual pledges. Today, we’re asking you to help us get the word out; with your help, we can hit the 100,000 pound mark!

As I write this, we’re at 99,660 pounds pledged in our community. That’s only 340 pounds to pledge to hit 100,000 pounds, and $14,000 donated to Feeding America. (That’s less than 70 people needed to pledge only 5 pounds!)

Will you help us get the word out?

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Or, use the “ShareThis” link below to text, email, or blog it. Thanks for your help!

Each year, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine throws the “Best of the Best Party,” featuring food, wine, and cocktail samplings from the best restaurants in the Twin Cities. Last year, the event drew more than 1,000 people and raised more than $7,000 for Second Harvest Heartland.

Join us for this year’s event on Monday, February 15 at 7pm at the Guthrie in Minneapolis. Tickets are $35, and are still available on Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s website by clicking here!

This coming Saturday, there are two ways for you to have a “ball” and support hunger relief in our community.

Crispin IceBall

The first is the Crispin IceBall The Midway Stadium. The lot opens at 11 AM with tailgating and live entertainment (courtesy of Cities 97), and the second annual IceBall Game (played on the snow and ice featuring vintage base ball rules) first pitch is at 1:30. Current, former and future St. Paul Saints players will host the Washington County Historical Society vintage base ball club, the St. Croix Base Ball Club. The event is a fundraisier–it’s free, but donations (both food and funds) are encouraged and proceeds will be donated to SHH.

Vintner Ball
During the fall of 2005, a group of wine enthusiasts from the Twin Cities were inspired to develop a unique event: a world-class, charitable wine tasting with 100% of funds raised benefiting the community and a local cause. What followed was the enlistment of wine distributors, connoisseurs, local businesses and finally, a stunning event in the heart of winter. Thus began the Vintner Ball.

On Saturday, the Vintner Ball will host the fifth annual First Growths for Second Harvest, generating warmth in the heart during the chill of winter. This year the bar has been set even higher, with a goal of surpassing last year’s donations for Second Harvest and providing yet another world-class wine tasting experience.

Visit www.vintnerball.com for more information and tickets!

Thanks to everyone who came out in support of the Pound for Pound Challenge to The Biggest Loser Season Premiere Party in Minneapolis! Attendees enjoyed mini-manicures, brow waxes, chair massages, lessons from personal trainers, Wii Fit demos and exciting giveaways such as a Wii gaming system and Wii fit and a $500 spa getaway package.

Best of all, attendees pledged the Pound for Pound Challenge in an effort to “Lose Nationally, Feed Locally.” For every pound pledged, the Pound for Pound Challenge will donate 14 cents to Feeding America–enough to deliver one pound of groceries to a local food bank.

Check out the photos and videos from the event–and don’t forget to pledge your pounds now at pfpchallenge.com!

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Photos:

Join us one week from today, Tuesday, January 5 for The Biggest Loser Season Premiere Party at Solera in Downtown Minneapolis!

Beginning at 6:00pm, you’ll enjoy hors d’oeurves, a cash bar, exciting enter-to-win opportunities and other Biggest Loser-related freebies. Two lucky guests will win a Nintendo Wii gaming system and Wii Fit!

Grab a seat at 7:00 for the show, and enjoy even more entertainment, fitness tips and other activities with KS95′ s Staci Matthews during commercial breaks. Register now and be entered to win a VIP package, including preferred seating at the event.

Space is limited, so click here to register now!

Why are we throwing a party for The Biggest Loser?

Because it’s the kickoff of the second annual Pound for Pound Challenge, of course! This exciting fundraising program was formed by a partnership of NBC’s The Biggest Loser, General Mills and Feeding America to encourage Americans to “Lose Nationally, Feed Locally.”

Sign up and pledge your weight loss goals at www.pfpchallenge.com. For every pound you pledge, the Pound for Pound Challenge will donate 14 cents to Feeding America – enough to deliver one pound of groceries to a local food bank. The more signups and pledges in our area, the more donations will come to Second Harvest Heartland to help feed those in need right here in our community.

Coming to the event? That’s great. You can pledge your pounds online at pfpchallenge.com, or just sign up at the party.

But remember, space is limited–so register for the party now!

Swing into the holiday season and support Second Harvest Heartland by picking up your copies of Home for the Holidays: A Minnesota Christmas and Christmas Jam: The Best of the Midwest.  These CD’s provide festive holiday entertainment to be shared with family and friends while making the holidays just a bit brighter for our hungry neighbors.  

Home for the Holidays: A Minnesota Christmas

15 local musicians team up to celebrate the holidays and to raise money for IBEW Holiday Lights in the Park, benefiting Second Harvest Heartland and other local charities.  This collection of holiday favorites can be purchased for $9.99 at all metro-area Target stores and includes a free ticket to the IBEW Holiday Lights in the Park at Phalen Park in St. Paul.  The CD can also be purchased while visiting the Holiday Lights tour.

Christmas Jam: Best of the Midwest

Ramblin Ranch & Tree House Productions present Christmas Jam: The Best of the Midwest, a collaborative project made possible by countless hours of volunteer effort.  This homegrown compilation of holiday classics benefits Second Harvest Heartland and other local food shelves, Christmas Jam can be purchased at Best Buy, the Electric Fetus, and Cheapo.

The Minnesota Vikings Children’s Fund, KS95 and Second Harvest Heartland thank all who participated in our Decorate a Plate/Share a Meal activity August 30th at the Minnesota State Fair!

Five lucky winners–Madison, Sally, Savannah, Briana and Kelsey–had their plates selected and  turned into actual dinner plates. Signed by Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin and more Minnesota Vikings, the plates will be offered for silent auction during the Taste of the NFL event tonight. Proceeds from Taste of the NFL will help expand the Vikings Children’s Fund Summer Lunch program in 2010.

Congratulations to our lucky winners–and thanks for “stepping up to the plate” and helping ensure other kids in the community have enough to eat next summer.

To learn more about the Decorate a Plate/Share a Meal Contest Winners, click here.
     

Yesterday, we received an email from Andrew Blake, volunteer coordinator at Totino-Grace High School, who came to Irish Mountain Orchard this past weekend and volunteered with his wife and some students. “We found out about the opportunity in an e-newsletter from Second Harvest, and our school is always looking for new service opportunities,” Andrew said. “This was a homecoming service project for us, so my students were up the night before until probably 1:00 am coming home from the school dance or somebody’s house after the football game. We came from Fridley, MN so I had them come to school at 6:45 in the morning. Needless to say, they didn’t get a lot of rest the night before!”

Every year in Minnesota alone, an estimated 224 million pounds of unused food goes to waste. It’s the goal of Second Harvest Heartland and participating Minnesota Orchards to glean as many nutritious apples as possible before the winter freeze, and deliver them to the hungry families, children and seniors who need them most. With the dedication of volunteers like Andrew and his students, we hope to collect even more fresh apples from Minnesota orchards than we did last year–more than 200,000 pounds.

“As we were making the collection boxes, we couldn’t believe we would need that many. Of course once we started collecting apples, the group working boxes could hardly keep them coming fast enough,” Andrew continued. “I think one of my favorite parts of the whole thing was knowing that each apple would get to a family. For awhile, with each apple I picked I tried to imagine a kid who would get that apple at home or at school in their lunch. I even tried to say a small blessing over each one until I realized it was slowing me down as so I stopped praying and started picking faster!”

All of us at Second Harvest Heartland extend a hearfelt “thanks” to the students at Totino-Grace and all other volunteers who have helped with the apple gleaning initiative this fall. Your efforts are incredibly important, and we couldn’t do this work without your help.

Know that families, children and seniors in our community are enjoying the “fruits of your labor”–literally–and giving thanks for your generosity and hard work.

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If you would like to learn more about how you can get involved with the volunteer program at Second Harvest Heartland, please click here. Simply fill out the short form, and someone will get back to you!
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For 16 years, NFL teams across the country have been partnering with local food banks and other hunger-relief organizations to help “tackle hunger” at Taste of the NFL. Last year, the funds raised from Taste of the NFL here in Minnesota seeded the Minnesota Vikings’ effort to help feed more hungry children during the summer months. This year, 100% of the proceeds raised from Taste of the NFL will support the efforts of the Vikings Children’s Fund and Second Harvest Heartland to expand the Vikings Children’s Fund Summer Lunch Program for 2010. With roughly 216,000 children going without the adequate nutrition they need during the summer, this effort is more important than ever before.

Not only will your attendance at Taste of the NFL support this important cause – but you’ll have a chance to rub elbows with your favorite Vikings players and taste the finest food and wine the Twin Cities have to offer. Sample food creations from top local chefs, taste exquisite E&J Gallo wine, personally receive player autographs and more.

Join us, won’t you? Tickets to Taste of the NFL are only $150 – a $25 discount – until October 12th. Click here to purchase yours now.