• Republicans aim to overhaul the state’s cash assistance programs ahead of the 2012 election

One month into a session that is not exactly threatening any legislative land-speed records on most policy fronts, Republican legislators have already introduced at least a dozen bills containing changes to eligibility rules for poor people seeking cash assistance.

The proposals include four bi

• MN has a 18.3% hunger hardship rate for households with children. 11.3% for other households.

• 17% of children in Msp/St. Paul live in homes that struggle with hunger hardships.

Map of MN Hunger

FRAC Special Analysis: Food Hardship

Nearly one in four U.S.

Middle class to safety net: Recession swells the number of Minnesota food stamp recipients.

StarTribune

The people who run Minnesota food shelves say they’re seeing unprecedented demand, including lots of middle class people who’ve never used food shelves before.

Fortunately, as demand increases, so does the generosity of Minnesotans.

One local man was forced to turn to his local food shelf when everything in his life started falling apart.

A year ago, Jeff and his wife Hannah had a middle-

Minnesota’s most vulnerable people are making do with much less this Thanksgiving. Recent statistics show that visits to food shelves in the state totaled more than one million from January to June this year, an increase of 26 percent compared to last year.

Call The Minnesota Food HelpLine (1-888-711-1151) if you or anyone you know does not have enough food.

Bill would ensure all kids get school lunches

Two leading Minnesota Democrats in Congress have introduced legislation to ensure that all school children, especially those from low-income families, get a proper school meal.

“Low-income children in Minnesota and across the country are increasingly being turned away from school lunch counters because they don’t have enough money in their me

The Twin Cities Salvation Army today announced that it has purchased a $100,000 refrigerated truck that it will use to distribute fresh meat and produce to metro area food shelves.

FULL STORY

Mankato teachers donated more than $1,100 and 780 pounds of food to the local food shelf.

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