March is Minnesota FoodShare Month
January 28, 2010
The Minnesota FoodShare initiative, created two decades ago, helps raise awareness and donations of nonperishables and dollars for communities across the state. This year’s campaign runs from March 1 to April 2.
Support of the IOCP Food Shelf during this time is especially critical. More families are using our food shelf with greater frequency, and more families are visiting IOCP for the first time.
During the campaign, cash and in-kind donations allow IOCP to receive a financial allocation from Minnesota FoodShare. This allocation represents a significant portion of IOCP’s annual food shelf budget. Donations of food and dollars must be received by April 5 to be counted toward Minnesota FoodShare.
IOCP is also participating in the Feinstein Challenge, which divides $1 million among participating food shelves nationwide. Food and funds received by IOCP from March 1 through April 30 are eligible to be counted and leverage the additional funding. Please add the notation ‘MN FoodShare/Feinstein Challenge’ to your check or food donation so your contribution can be counted toward the challenge. More information on the Feinstein Foundation
More than 3,500 people in our community each year count on the food shelf to supplement their groceries. Last year, IOCP collected 42,537 lbs. of food and $29,789 during the campaign. These donations allow us to leverage additional dollars for purchasing items through Second Harvest, our metro food bank.
How to Donate
Food donations are accepted at IOCP Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Cash donations are accepted online, by mail, or at IOCP.
For large food donations, contact Susan Fetterer or call 952-516-6061 to schedule.
