Salvation Army hosts pop-up food drive through end of March

The Twin Cities Salvation Army held a pop-up food drive on Saturday.

These pop-up events will go until March 31.

Representatives from the Salvation Army said the food drives come at a critical time as emergency SNAP benefits expire this month.

During last year’s food drive, the nonprofit collected 2.2 million pounds of food.

The goal this year is to exceed that amount, which will keep their nine metro area food shelves stocked for three months.

The emergency SNAP benefits expire this month. At the start of the pandemic, SNAP recipients were receiving an extra $95 per month on average.

Last year, 5.5 million Minnesotans visited the Salvation Army. Now, with the loss of SNAP benefits and the rising cost of food, the Salvation Army says they’re expecting more demand at food shelves.

Governor Tim Walz signed a $5 million bill this week to provide funding to Minnesota food shelves.

People can drop off non-perishable food items at any of the Twin Cities Salvation Army locations. For more information on Salvation Army locations, click here.