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.

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.

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 >>

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.

Get in Gear, Minnesota’s Annual Rite of Spring, is fast approaching—and now is the time to register to run a 2k, 5k, 10k or half marathon! This year’s event is being held on April 30^th at Minnehaha Park in South Minneapolis.  When registering, consider donating to Second Harvest Heartland; your donation will be matched dollar for dollar up to $10,000 by Get in Gear, which will be used to support child hunger programs. All you need to do is designate your donation on the Get in Gear registration form.

If participating in a race isn’t for you, we still need volunteers! Sign up to help out on Friday, April 29^th with race packet distribution and again on Saturday, April 30 at water stations, the bag check, and other various jobs. To sign up to volunteer, click here.

We hope to see you there!

It’s hard to believe it’s already the middle of March, and that Minnesota FoodShare’s March Campaign is already half over!  For those unfamiliar, the March Campaign helps provide food for 300 Minnesota food shelves after a long winter of helping the hungry. Now in its tenth year, Minnesota FoodShare has challenged its partners, made up of congregations, companies, civic groups and schools, to provide 12 million dollars and pounds of food to Minnesota food shelves this March.

This number is daunting and ambitious, but with roughly 10% of people in our region at risk of hunger, it is a challenge that we must meet.

Some who used to donate to food shelves are now depending on them—but thanks to the Minnesota FoodShare March Campaign, we can help ensure that no one has to go without food.

Get more information on the Minnesota FoodShare March Campaign here.

Join us for Dish: Cuisine for Change! The annual gala benefiting Second Harvest Heartland is an elegant opportunity to recognize the growing need in our community, reflect on stories of hope and help enact true change for our hungry neighbors.

This year’s event will take place on Thursday, April 21 at the Saint Paul RiverCentre. The evening will offer a touch of glamour with gourmet samplings by local restaurants, wine tasting, live and silent auctions, and will culminate with a live performance by nationally acclaimed comedian, Tom Papa—best known as the host of The Marriage Ref on NBC.

Check out photos from last year’s event here, or head over to dishcuisineforchange.org to purchase your tickets or table!

Be a part of the annual Mpls.St.Paul Magazine event that celebrates the “Best of the Best” in Minnesota while raising funds for Second Harvest Heartland. This year’s event is sure to be a hit as it brings Vegas to you! Play poker, roulette, and pulltabs while enjoying food, wine, and cocktail sampling.

Tickets to the celebration, which is held on Monday, February 21 at 7pm at the IDS Crystal Court and Windows on Minnesota, are $35, and are still available on Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s website by clicking here!

Don’t miss your opportunity to check out what really is the best in Minnesota!