Minnesota’s food banks express gratitude to members of the Senate Health and Human Services Finance Committee for including $10 million in statewide food bank funding in this session’s finance bill, which was passed off the floor on Wednesday. The investment recognizes the essential role food banks play as community-based organizations that partner with local grocers, farmers, and volunteers to deliver food assistance efficiently and with minimal overhead to food shelves.
Food banks are proven stewards of every public and private dollar they receive. On average, food banks source and distribute groceries at prices well below what Minnesota families pay at big-box retailers. With this funding, food banks will turn each dollar into multiple meals for working families, seniors on fixed incomes, and children across the state. That ki‘nd of return on investment is exactly what taxpayers should expect from any use of public funds.
This funding comes at a critical moment. Grocery costs remain high, and more of our neighbors, many of them working full-time jobs, are turning to food banks to fill their pantry. This funding ensures that rural communities, small towns, and Greater Minnesota are not left behind.
We are especially grateful to the committee members and bill authors from both sides of the aisle who recognized that hunger is not a partisan issue and that supporting Minnesota’s food banks is a sound, fiscally responsible investment in our communities.
“In the rural communities we serve, we take pride in looking out for one another. Our goal is to help neighbors get back on their feet. However, more people than ever need our help to get by. In the last 3 years, our distribution has increased by a stunning 37%, and the need continues to outpace the available funding. This funding will help us ensure that rural families aren’t left behind,” said Susie Novak Boelter, Executive Director of North Country Food Bank, Inc.
Minnesota’s food banks look forward to continuing to work with legislators in both chambers as the bill moves through the process, and we urge the House and the full Legislature to preserve this commonsense investment in Minnesota families and seniors.
About North Country Food Bank
One of four food banks in Minnesota, North Country Food Bank is the sole distributor of surplus quality food and non-food products in northwest and west central Minnesota. It serves a 21- county area including Becker, Beltrami, Clearwater, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Otter Tail, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Pope, Red Lake, Roseau, Stevens, Traverse, Wadena, and Wilkin counties. In addition, North Country serves the Anishinaabe reservations that occupy some of the same geography as these counties. These reservations include White Earth, Red Lake, and Leech Lake. Throughout its service area, North Country provides food and non-food products to its 220 member agencies (food shelves and other non-profit organizations that address food insecurity) as well as directly to people in need. This past year, North Country distributed nearly 7.5 million pounds of product, which is equivalent to 6.25 million meals.
