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. “We’ve been working to try and get funding from the state again, get in the budget, and working on a bill that’s $10 million for food banks and $5.4 million for food shelves in the state,” said North Country Food Bank Director Suzie Novak Boelter. “And we passed our first hurdle by getting it through the Senate. So we’re very excited about that. I know locally, Senator Mark Johnson has been super helpful for us and supportive of the bill. So, really excited to sort of get past that first hurdle on this.”
There has been a significant increase in the usage of food banks in the area. “In the last three years, we’ve seen our distribution increase by more than 37%, which is just an incredible amount and an unsustainable number for us,” said Novak Boelter. “And we’ve worked together with the other food banks, the other three food banks in the state of Minnesota, to try get some funding from the state to help us acquire more food because we’re concerned because the need is outpacing the amount of food available. And then with some changes coming to SNAP this year, and even with the recent increase in gas prices, we’ve really seen the need spike up.”
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. “The funding for food banks is entirely for us to acquire food. So when we get that funding, that’s going to go straight into us getting more food that we can get out to our partners across the region,” said Novak Boelter. “And we work with 220 nonprofit organizations to get them more food so they have it to distribute to people who need help and are struggling with hunger right now.”
If you would like to donate money or your time to the North Country Food Bank, there are several ways to help out. “You can visit our website, NorthCountryFoodBank.org. There are easy ways to donate to our organization. There are opportunities if you want to volunteer or help us with advocacy-type stuff. Lots of information there. We’re happy to hear from people, and we can also connect them locally with their local food shelves,” said Novak Boelter. “But it’s really important right now because again, as we’ve seen, gas prices go up and food costs are up, and changes coming to SNAP, it seems like more neighbors than ever are struggling a bit right now. They just can’t afford their lives and need a little extra help. So having more funding available for food is just a really great thing right now.”
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.
