In just one month, the seventh annual Vintner Ball will once again be held at the Westin Edina Galleria. Join us on February 25 for this world-class, charitable wine tasting event—one you won’t want to miss.  You’ll enjoy an evening of some of the finest wines from around the world, gourmet hors d’oeuvres, and participate in a silent auction and wine seminars.  Even more, 100% of the proceeds from this event benefit Second Harvest Heartland! Because all associated costs are underwritten by the hosts and all the wine, food, auction items, marketing and facility use by donation, every dollar collected can go directly to getting more food into the hands of the people that need it.

Over the last six years, nearly $800,000 has been raised at the Vintner Ball on behalf of Second Harvest Heartland—that’s enough to provide food for nearly three million meals for our hungry neighbors.  We hope to do even more this year, but we can’t do it without you.

Join us for the 2012 Vintner Ball and help us generate warmth in the heart during the chill of winter. Tickets for the Vintner Ball are on sale now. You can RSVP here for easy registration or purchase tickets at the door the night of the event.

WCCO Radio, Taste of the NFL, General Mills, and Land O’Lakes are together again presenting the third annual Let’s Kick Hunger Day Radiothon tomorrow from 5am to 6pm at the Mall of America.

Through collaboration and support of the community, this event has generated funds to aid in the fight against hunger, supporting Second Harvest Heartland and 32 food banks through Taste of the NFL. Join the effort this year to help us do even more for our neighbors in need.

Participating in the radiothon is easy. Simply tune into WCCO Radio or stop by the Mall of America to become a Hunger Hero. Just $10 per month for a year or a one-time gift of $120 will help provide 840 meals to the hungry children, families and older adults in our community. To get involved, call 877.866.4376 between 5am to 6pm on Thursday, or click here to make a donation.

We hope you can join us in helping Kick Hunger!

The weather outside might be frightful—or at least cold, but that doesn’t mean that you have to stay inside this holiday season! This year, the IBEW Holidays Light in the Park is brighter than ever and offers the perfect way to spend an enjoyable evening and give back to the community.

Travel through St. Paul’s Phalen Park to view more than 50 larger-than-life holiday sculptures and animated displays, all from the comfort of your own car. And this year, there’s even an Enchanted Fairytale Forest—a handsome prince, a beautiful princess, horse and carriage, fantastic castle, mischievous wizard, and of course a fire-breathing dragon!

The event is open now through January 1 and a portion of the proceeds benefit Second Harvest Heartland and other local charities. Gather your family and friends and enjoy a holiday night in the park.

For more information, visit the Holiday Lights in the Park website.

It’s once again time for The Great Minnesota Give Together—the third annual Give to the Max Day. Next Wednesday, thousands of people from around the state of Minnesota will join together to donate online in support of their favorite charities.

We’re excited to announce that we’re again featuring a matching fund of more than $100,000 thanks to The Mosaic Company and a small group of generous individuals. And new this year, if you make a gift of $100 or more, we’ll send you a hand-colored postcard from a child who benefits from one of our programs. Check out the video below which features the kids in action.

Last year, the contributions made to Second Harvest Heartland on Give to the Max Day were enough to provide 1.3 million meals to our hungry neighbors right here in the heartland. With your help, we can provide even more this year.

To help you remember to Give to the Max, sign up to receive an email next Wednesday morning so you don’t forget.

Help us do even better this year…Give to the Max!

There’s still time to get your tickets for the Taste of the Vikings, the annual event hosted by the Taste of the NFL and the Minnesota Vikings. This exciting event gives you the chance to help kick childhood hunger while mingling with current and former Minnesota Vikings players and sampling great food from some of the finest restaurants in the Twin Cities! Check out photos from last year’s event below.

Those who attend the Taste of the Vikings will help support Second Harvest Heartland and the Vikings Children’s Fund Summer Lunch Program in providing much-needed meals for Minnesota children next summer.

Don’t miss out on this unique experience! Call 952.918.8405 to get your tickets to the Taste of the Vikings today.

Farm in the Cities is a new, fun and fresh event presented by Six Rivers Cooperative and participating restaurants. The event, hosted by Solera Restaurant, spotlights local farmers’ foods and the restaurants that serve them. The event was created as a way to educate and excite the public about sourcing and preparing farm-fresh food.

Join us on Sunday, October 30 to mingle with top-named chefs, enjoy appetizers and a delicious seven course dinner, all prepared by the chefs using locally grown products. Plus, you’ll get the chance to learn about the products used in the preparation of the meals, as well as support hunger-relief right here in our community.

Don’t miss out on this one-of-a-kind opportunity. Tickets can be purchased by calling Solera’s Jay Viskocil at 612-338-0062. Tickets are priced at $125, and all proceeds benefit Second Harvest Heartland.

For more information about the event, click here.

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Stop by Mall of America to check out some amazing structures built from ordinary cans of food!

Canstruction is a national charity committed to ending hunger using one can as a catalyst for change through a unique design/build competition. Each year top design firms from the Twin Cities build enormous structures from cans of food and thousands of onlookers vote for their favorite.  But, most importantly, once the event is completed the structures are dissembled and the cans of food are donated to Second Harvest Heartland. Last year, teams used more than 15,000 cans of food, all of which was distributed to our neighbors in need.

Be there to cheer on designers, check out the structures and vote for your favorite.

For more details on how you can get involved, click here.

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!

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.

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.