Partners to End Hunger Announces Legislative Agenda
Minnesota Partners to End Hunger is a statewide network of service providers and advocates working to end hunger in Minnesota by motivating decision-makers to take supportive action on state and national hunger policy issues.
Our 2019 Partners to End Hunger Legislative Agenda identifies state-level priorities for anti-hunger legislation:
View the Partners to End Hunger Agenda
Fully fund the Good Food Access Program
The Good Food Access Program helps establish permanent facilities for the sale of healthy, affordable food in areas of the state where better access is needed. The Program provides grants, loans, and technical support for food-related enterprises such as new and improved grocery stores, mobile markets, farmers’ markets, fresh food refrigeration, and other innovative community-driven solutions.
Lead organization: Hunger Solutions Minnesota
Committee: Agriculture
Improving school breakfast
When kids don’t have breakfast available to them at school, it means they aren’t ready to learn. This Legislative Session, we have a big opportunity to provide all Minnesota kids access to nutritious food to start their school day ready to learn. As a state, Minnesota has missed our opportunity to adequately support school breakfast programs in the past. This session, we propose a bold move — to provide incentives to schools to serve high-quality school breakfast and make sure all Minnesota students start their school day ready to learn.
Lead organizations: Hunger Solutions Minnesota & Legal Aid
Committee: Education
End school lunch shaming
Minnesota became a leader in addressing the issue of school lunch shaming when it passed legislation to ensure that reminders about lunch payments do not stigmatize or demean students who participate in the free school meals program. Yet some students who are unable to pay are still denied access to the same nutritious lunch given to other students. They are instead given a substitute meal like a cheese sandwich. We support closing the loophole in state law that allows this to happen.
Lead organizations: Legal Aid & Hunger Solutions Minnesota
Committee: Education
Continue mobile food shelf funding
Mobile food shelf programs increase access to nutritious food for individuals who experience barriers to accessing traditional bricks-and-mortar food shelves because of transportation or mobility challenges. Mobile food shelves received $2 million in funding from the Legislature in 2015. Support continued funding of competitive grants to create new mobile programs or expand existing programs.
Lead organization: Hunger Solutions Minnesota
Committee: Human Services
Farm to School and early care
Farm to School and Early Care initiatives connect farmers and kids by serving local food in students’ meals, teaching them about local agriculture in educational activities, strengthening local economies and supporting healthy eating habits. Our bill proposes creating a Farm to School Coordinator position and establishing a grant program to reimburse up to 5 cents per meal for schools and early care environments serving local food.
Lead organization: IATP
Committee: Agriculture
Urban Agriculture Grant Program
The AGRI Urban Agriculture Grant Program encourages urban youth agricultural education and urban agriculture community development in or near urban areas. Grants help organizations and communities obtain the materials and services necessary to improve access to fresh produce and successfully promote a healthy and thriving local food system.
Lead organization: Appetite for Change/Northside Fresh Coalition
Committee: Agriculture
Hunger Free Campuses
Students have the right to have their basic needs met while in school. Unfortunately that is not the case as college students across the state are dealing with food insecurity. Minnesota students are going hungry while trying to pursue their education and that is unacceptable. Our bill proposes state funding for Hunger Free Campuses. This would provide grants to help ensure that every community and technical college in Minnesota has a system in place to address food insecurity among students. Hunger Free Campuses would also fund SNAP education and outreach on every campus.
Lead organization: LeadMN – College Students Connecting for Change
Committee: Education