Just because the stock market keeps soaring doesn’t mean everyone is sharing in the wealth being generated in the economy. Local food shelves in Minnesota see demand for their services keep growing.

The Neighborhood House food shelf in St. Paul distributed 665,000 pounds of food to 4,600 families in 2023, but this year, the number has grown to 980,000 pounds of food to 6,500 families.

“Addressing this issue requires a collaborative effort,” says Janet Gracia, president and CEO of Neighborhood House. “That’s why we are so grateful for the governor’s commitment to food security and supporting local food shelves like ours.”

Governor Tim Walz decided to reallocate $5 million remaining from the American Rescue Plan fund to help families still struggling in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is a stressful time for families,” Walz said Monday morning during a visit to Neighborhood House. “We are able to find the remaining dollars in our American Rescue Plan dollars and today I’m proud to announce we’re able to give five million dollars to our food shelves across the State of Minnesota during this holiday season.”

There are about 300 food shelves across the state and most are busier this year than last year. “That trend rings true across the state,” says Sophia Lenarz-Coy of The Food Group, a non-profit that coordinates healthy food for food shelves. “Last year, we saw about seven and a half million visits to food shelves in Minnesota. This year, we’re on pace for almost nine million.”

Food shelves will be able to apply for a portion of the $5 million in funding, which will be tracked to ensure it reaches the families most in need.

“With this amount of funding, we will ask food shelves to submit a letter of inquiry and agree to certain conditions, and based on that, we will distribute funds,” says Tikki Brown, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families.

The state needs to allocate another $6 million in American Rescue Plan money before it expires at the end of the year. The Walz administration will announce where that money will go later this week.

For a look at community Thanksgiving meals offered across the state, CLICK HERE.