communityreport.2harvest.orgSecond Harvest Heartland 2023 Community Report

From Our CEO Your Impact in 2023 Prepared Meals through Kitchen Coalition Partner Highlights Introducing the Care Center Using Data to Serve More Neighbors Program Highlights 2023 Financial Statement Board of Directors Home From Our CEO Your Impact in 2023 Prepared Meals through Kitchen Coalition Partner Highlights Introducing the Care Center Using Data to Serve More Neighbors Program Highlights 2023 Financial Statement Board of Directors Scroll FROM OUR CEOHunger is on the rise again. ” Each of the last three years has seen record numbers of food shelf visits in Minnesota. At Second Harvest Heartland, we are seeing more record-setting days, when we pack up and drive out half a million pounds of food. Half a million pounds of meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables that are needed to keep our community fed. Things are going in the wrong direction, and we need to do better. The good news is, we know we can. In 2023, we laid the groundwork for a bold path forward. In January 2024, we proudly announced Make Hunger History, a shared effort to cut hunger in half for all Minnesotans by 2030. In this report to the community, you’ll find stories about the ways we are reducing hunger today by increasing access to emergency food and preventing hunger tomorrow through policy and partnerships, tracking shared progress along the way. Find out how we’ve shifted our operations to respond to the growing demand for emergency food and the ways in which we’ve been supporting our food shelf and meal program partners. Learn about our newly established Care Center that provides neighbors with compassionate one-on-one support to secure groceries, meals and other basic needs during tough times. See how we’re using data to discover the hunger hot spots in our service area so we can ensure food is getting to those who need it. We are so grateful for the generosity of our community and your financial support for local food banks, food shelves and our neighbors. We will need your passion and continued partnership in the years to come. With you, we can and will make hunger history. Gratefully, Allison O’Toole, CEO Second Harvest Heartland SUPPORT THE WORK AHEAD We can’t fully address and end hunger without your support. Donate now Ending Hunger by the numbers—Your impact in 2023 127+ MILLION meals provided 41.1 MILLION pound of food rescued from 628 store partners 15,700 SNAP REFERRALS for new clients seeking food support processed by our Care Center team 1,212,165 PREPARED MEALS provided by Kitchen Coalition 16,009 VOLUNTEERS donated 55,008 hours of their time 56,370,695 POUND OF PRODUCE distributed $1,383,247 IN GRANTS given to help support food shelf and meal program partners Supporting North Minneapolis as Food Desert Grows The grocery and pharmacy closures in North Minneapolis and Brooklyn Center in 2023 left families with few options for nearby and affordable groceries. This meant more visitors to the area’s hunger-relief programs. To support our eight North Minneapolis partners through this surge in neighbor visits, Second Harvest Heartland met with leaders from each food program to learn how we could assist them best. From those discussions, we learned that funding was tight and volunteers were in short supply. With the help of our donors, Second Harvest Heartland provided a total of $110k in grants to support these food shelves. We also organized a volunteer week in North Minneapolis and invited media and policymakers to provide a little extra help while highlighting the need for volunteers for these partners and elevating conversations about need, capacity, available resources and racial inequalities related to hunger in our communities. We’re listening,” said CEO Allison O’Toole. We want to know how we can adjust our work so we can see the need and provide the most help.” Second Harvest Heartland met with leaders from each food program to learn how we could assist them best. Connecting Through Prepared Meals Kitchen Coalition brings together kitchens and distribution partners to keep our neighbors fed. Kitchen Coalition serves up culturally connected, freshly prepared meals because not everyone facing hunger has the home, health or ability to use the groceries our food bank offers. Second Harvest Heartland sources food and funds, which our partner kitchens use to cook culturally affirming meals that meet our neighbors’ needs. Partner restaurants and caterers are paid at cost for their work, which means they employ more workers and are better able to weather downtimes for their businesses. This community-driven approach means that neighbors are nourished, local businesses are supported, and meals are made and delivered with care. Astrid Berger is the Cook Fresh program coordinator at Urban Roots of Minnesota, a nonprofit that runs youth employment and internship programs. Her program receives meals from Homi Mexican Restaurant, one of Kitchen Coalition’s partner kitchens, to distribute to the youth participating in their internship programs. I got to talk with Miguel, the head chef at Homi. It sounds like our kids are going to go visit their kitchens and get to see the production in action. He was so excited to come to us, and we can now all make a meal together.” Miguel Lopez, owner of Homi As a young kid, I used to go to kitchens like mine to get a meal,” says Miguel. So having the restaurant, having the time, having the workers, and now having all the ingredients that we need to prepare meals, it was easy for us to just go for it.” This year, Kitchen Coalition has started production of frozen meals, which has enabled expansion into Greater Minnesota. These frozen meals have had a huge impact, as many partners, such as Catholic Charities Emergency Services in St. Cloud, have a home-delivery program for temporarily homebound individuals dealing with illness or other crises. Another interesting piece we’ve learned in the frozen food expansion is that it has been really beneficial for some of our Metro partners due to the flexibility it offers for shelf life,” adds Kitchen Coalition Program Specialist Aly Hotz. Kitchen Coalition is excited about continued expansion efforts, as forging these bonds in the community and providing prepared meals is a valuable tool in the fight against hunger. Our Most Successful Dish Gala Ever! We were thrilled to welcome our supporters to the Depot in Minneapolis on October 14, 2023. Led by WCCO Radio’s Vineeta Sawkar, the energy in the room was high as the community gathered to help provide meals and groceries to Minnesotans facing hunger. Over 1.7 million dollars were raised as guests enjoyed silent and live auctions, an inspiring program, dinner, and entertainment by The Covers and the MacPhail Community Youth Ensemble. Thank you to everyone who helped make Dish a success! Packing with the Pack The Second Harvest Heartland Volunteer Center was grateful to have board member Coach Chris Finch, Timberwolves staff, and the team’s owner Alex Rodriguez volunteer. With a little teamwork, packing and sorting potatoes was not only a fun teambuilding exercise, it also helped our neighbors. Student Volunteers Give Back Second Harvest Heartland has a passionate group of student volunteers who work with our Volunteer Engagement Team over the course of a semester. One of these volunteers is Lauren, a student at the University of St. Thomas majoring in marketing. I’ve participated in several of the Brooklyn Park packing shifts, but I’ve also been a part of a remote project. … It’s been really cool to see a community come together with the specific big goal of ending hunger together.” How Partner Grants are Ending Hunger for Rural Seniors Heaven’s Table Food Shelf received a Collaborative Innovation grant from Second Harvest Heartland to offer food box deliveries to folks living in Martin County. The neighbors served have a hard time getting to the closest food shelf in Fairmont. There is a growing senior population in this area, so the...