Senator Tom Bakk to host 5th annual hunger relief fund drive with special guests Governor Mark Dayton and Vikings’ Jared Allen

Hunger Solutions Minnesota and Senator Tom Bakk will host the 5th Annual Stock the Shelves event. This event raises proceeds dedicated to Arrowhead regional food shelves. Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton and Vikings’ Defensive End Jared Allen are scheduled to attend. The public is invited to attend.

EVENT DETAILS:
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
4:00 – 6:00 pm Happy Hour
The Liffey, 175 7th Street West, Saint Paul
Suggested Donation – Open
Checks Payable to Hunger Solutions Minnesota

“Due to the poor economy and high unemployment, food shelves are struggling to meet the increased demand. More and more families are stretched to the limit and relying on food shelves to eat. We are doing our part to help, and I encourage all Minnesotans to take some time to help others this holiday season,” said Senator Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, Senate DFL Caucus Leader.

The Arrowhead region of Minnesota has been adversely affected by hunger. Last year 23.4% of the population experienced a food hardship.

Between January and August of this year, there were 249,062 visits to Arrowhead regional food shelves.
>a 24% year-to-date overall increase
>Adult visits increased by 30%
>Child visits increased by 16%
>Senior visits increased by 20%
“This event is a great opportunity to continue Thomson Reuter’s mission of relieving hunger in our community. We understand the need grows every year, and we are happy to do our part in helping to meet that need for Minnesota families,” said Rick King, COO Technology, Thomson Reuters.
“We continue to support Senator Bakk’s mission to ensure that families can rely on local food shelves to help get them through difficult hardships,” said Dana Byrne, Cliffs Natural Resources’ vice president of government and public affairs. “This year, more families are struggling and they need our help, so we’ve responded by increasing our donation to $10,000. That money will go directly to the food shelves in the communities where Cliffs has operations.”

The event began five years ago when Iron Range food shelves were having trouble keeping their shelves stocked into the holiday season. Lydia Bjorge, an employee at Lockridge Grindal Nauen in Minneapolis, called Senator Bakk’s office and asked how she could help. Together, they raised over $60,000 in one week. Since that year, this has been an annual event drawing in over $200,000 and guests like the Governor of Minnesota and Vikings players Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen.

“In communities across Minnesota, approximately one-in-ten people are unsure of where they’ll get their next meal or how they’ll feed their families,” said Brian Pietsch, head of community relations at Ameriprise Financial, a sponsor of the event. “The hunger epidemic won’t be solved by a single person or organization, but working together collectively, I believe we can make a substantial difference.”

Presenting sponsors of this year’s event are: Thomson Reuters, Cliffs Natural Resources and Ameriprise Financial. Gold Sponsors include Minnesota Power, Twin Metals and Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America. Additional sponsors include OTG Management, CenturyLink, Lockridge Grindal Nauen P.L.L.P., Delta Airlines, The Minnesota Twins, The Liffey, the Minnesota Wild and Fortune Bay Resort Casino.

WHO:
Minnesota State Senator Tom Bakk
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton
Jared Allen, Vikings Defensive End
Colleen Moriarty, Executive Director, Hunger Solutions Minnesota
James Fitzpatrick, Hunger Solutions Minnesota, Board Chair

Arrowhead Regional Food Shelves:
• Aurora-Hoyt Lakes-Biwabik-Area Food Shelf
• Chisholm Area Food Shelf
• Cook Community Food Shelf
• Deer River Area Food Shelf
• Ely Food Shelf
• Family Investment Center
• Grand Marais Food Shelf
• Grand Rapids Food Shelf
• Hermantown Food Shelf
• Hibbing Area Food Shelf
• Northern Itasca Emergency Food Shelf
• Proctor Food Shelf
• Quad City Food Shelf-Gilbert
• Salvation Army Hibbing
• Salvation Army Virginia
• Silver Bay Area Food Shelf
• Tower Area Food Shelf
• Warba Food Shelf

About Hunger Solutions Minnesota:
Hunger Solutions Minnesota is a comprehensive hunger relief organization that works to end hunger in Minnesota. Hunger Solutions Minnesota helps alleviate hunger by providing fresh produce, making emergency food referrals via the Minnesota Food HelpLine and by distributing grants so thousands of school children can have access to much needed food in the summer. When you donate to Hunger Solutions, you help the thousands across Minnesota who don’t have enough money to put food on the table. The HSM Minnesota Food HelpLine (1-888-711-1151) helps low-income Minnesotans find emergency food assistance in their area. For further information, visit hungersolutions.org , on Facebook at facebook.com/HungerSolutionsMinnesota, on Twitter @HungerSolutions or call 651-789-9843.

About Senator Tom Bakk:
Tom resides on Lake Vermilion near Cook, MN with his wife Laura. They have four adult children and three grandchildren. A legislator since 1994, Tom sees improving the standard of living for workers and their families as a key reason for serving in the Legislature. He has worked diligently to bring more value-added jobs and enhance tourism opportunities in northern Minnesota, and is committed to continuing those efforts. Tom was elected to lead the Senate DFL caucus in 2010.

About Lockridge Grindal Nauen P.L.L.P.
Lockridge Grindal Nauen (“LGN”) employee Lydia Bjorge has organized the event all five years. With offices in Minneapolis and Washington, D.C., LGN represents clients in litigation and government relations in the Upper Midwest and across the country.
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