Five easy ways to fight hunger this March

Feb 29, 2016

During Minnesota FoodShare’s March Campaign, The Salvation Army is participating in Minnesota’s largest food drive to restock our food shelves that serve hundreds daily. It’s an important food drive for The Salvation Army because we’re experiencing high demand. The number of people served at our Minnesota-based food shelves, for example, has increased nine percent in the past two years – from almost 74,000 people in 2014 to a little over 81,000 people in 2015.

“After experiencing this increase over the past year, we’re only expecting to serve more in 2016,” said Major Jeff Strickler, Twin Cities Salvation Army Commander. “Please join The Salvation Army in helping these people now during Minnesota FoodShare Month.”

Here’s a few easy ways you can fight hunger this month:

1. Become informed. Did you know that on average The Salvation Army serves more than 2,100 individuals a hot meal every day in Minnesota? It’s estimated that food shelves across the state are visited by over 9,000 hungry people daily, according to a 2014 study by Hunger Solutions. The unfortunate truth is, hunger is often harder to identify than many assume it to be. Too often, we associate hunger with images of famine, not of a family having to skip a meal because a utility bill was due. A good start to fighting hunger is to become more aware of the impact it has in our community. That’s why The Salvation Army offers a variety of programs throughout Minnesota aimed at reducing hunger. Whether it’s a hot meal at our centers or a bag full of groceries, food is free to anyone in need, no questions asked.
2. Donate. Supporting our food programs financially is one of the best ways you can team up with The Salvation army to fight hunger. Through our food partnerships, we are able to buy items for our food shelves at a discounted rate, which ultimately means that there’s more food to go around. What’s more, donations are routed by ZIP code to help funds stay within a local community to help hurting neighbors. Even a small donation can go a long way, just $20 can provide a day’s worth of nutritious meals for a family of four.
3. Give to our food shelves. Even though the holidays are long gone, we still have a large amount guests visiting our food shelves weekly. Many of them rely on us for staples like pasta, peanut butter, cereal, and canned fruits and vegetables. While these items are always in high demand, we often get requests for milk, children’s snacks, baby food and formula, and cooking oils.
4. Serve a meal or volunteer at a food pantry. As donations come into our food pantries, we have an increased need for volunteers. We need help organizing donations so guests are able to shop and easily find the items they’re looking for. Plus, an organized food shelf helps staff notice when we’re running low on kitchen staples. It may be March, but we still see many people attending our hot meal programs despite the slight temperature increase. When we’re feeding hundreds of additional people daily, it’s all hands on deck. Learn about volunteering where you live.
5. Organize a food drive. It’s easy to do good and fight hunger alone, but it’s more fun with the help of others. Coordinate with local church groups or partner with office mates to collect non-perishables for a food shelf or meal service provider. The power of numbers can really come alive when those collection bins fill up fast. We recommend reaching out to your local Salvation Army and asking about their specific needs so donations are truly meeting the needs of our community. Find the location near you in the Twin Cities, Greater Minnesota, or North Dakota.