| December 13, 2007 |
A Message From Our Director
On behalf of all of the staff of Hunger Solutions Minnesota, I want to take the opportunity to thank you for all of your hard work during this busy holiday season and throughout the year. The need is so great in your communities and the pressure to keep up must at times seem unbearable but you will do everything in your power to see that no one is turned away. To read more, click here. Arrowhead Food Shelves to Receive Holiday Boost
State Senator Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook), responded to the need of the food shelves in his Arrowhead district by attending a fund raising reception on Monday; with all of the proceeds going to shelves that serve northeast Minnesota families. The recipients of these funds were designated by donors and event organizers. We are deeply grateful for their support of hunger relief in the Arrowhead region, and Hunger Solutions Minnesota will distribute 100% of all donations made through the event to the 17 recipient food shelves. To read more, click here. What’s New With the HSM Blue Ribbon Food Shelf Initiative?
A little more than two months after the final tool was presented at the 2007 Minnesota Hunger Partners Conference in Hinckley, many of you have had questions and some have already submitted their tool for review. Questions have ranged from what is a strategic plan to what if I’m scheduled to participate in a ServSafe class after the due date for the HSM Blue Ribbon Food Shelf Tool? Every question is a good one and here are some tips to consider as you complete the tool. To read more, click here. Where does Minnesota Stand Nationally When it Comes to Food Support Participation?
The Minnesota Food Support Program (funded by the Federal Food Stamp Act) is a program that helps low-income families buy nutritious food from local grocers. However, only about 60% of eligible households participate in the program. This means that Minnesota is missing out on additional federal funds to help low-income households, money that would be spent in local communities and help families and retailers during lean economic times. To read more, click here. Pilot Program for the 2008 TEFAP Product Year
Hunger Solutions Minnesota (HSM) and Minnesota Department of Human Services Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) along with their distribution partners, America’s Second Harvest Food Banks, are piloting a change in normal TEFAP distribution procedures effective with the 2008 TEFAP product year that began in October 2007. This change eliminates shared maintenance fees for the Minnesota agencies that are distributing TEFAP commodity products. The hope is that this will allow all agencies the ability to utilize and distribute these products. To read more, click here. Available Hunger Solutions Minnesota Grants
If your food shelf is struggling financially or you’re finding it difficult to the meet the need in your community, we strongly encourage you to apply for an HSM emergency grant. If you are looking to replace a broken or old piece of equipment, please consider applying for an HSM equipment grant. Funds are currently available for residential freezers or refrigerators, scales or metal shelving. HSM also has a limited amount in funding for an Education/Training fund. These scholarships are for HSM member food shelf directors who want to attend training sessions but do not have the resources to do so. To read more, click here. HSM Lunch and Learn Sessions to Expand in 2008
During 2007, thanks to your participation, HSM saw great success with the statewide tour of our Lunch and Learn sessions. Over 400 people participated in meetings that took place in more than 20 cities across Minnesota. Because of this, we are very excited to announce that we’ve decided to not only continue the series but expand the program. To read more, click here. U of MN Extension Works with the Steele County Food Shelf in Owatonna
The University of Minnesota Extension Nutrition Education Program (NEP) provides nutrition and food resource management classes to people with limited resources. Education is offered across the state at a variety of sites, including food shelves. The NEP (known as the Simply Good Eating program in the metro) provides interactive lessons to groups and individuals, as well as displays, newsletters, and handouts. The NEP includes the Food Stamp Nutrition Education (FSNE) and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Program (EFNEP), which are funded by USDA and supported by collaborative efforts with many community partners. To read more, click here. Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps
The following story was written by Barb Downs, Director of Outreach and Program Services at Channel One Food Bank and Food Shelf in Rochester. It comes from “Sharing Our Stories, Narratives of the people that Channel One impacts.”, a package of stories relating to food shelves compiled by Rebecca Wolf. Please feel free to forward this story on to your community via your volunteers, clients, donors, and the local media. To read the story, click here. |
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