Minnesota food banks and food shelves say Operation Metro Surge has pushed many immigrant families into food insecurity, and they anticipate the aftereffects will last for some time.
When thousands of federal immigration agents flooded Minnesota in recent months, many immigrant families stopped leaving their homes and going to work; many are still struggling to make ends meet and afford basic necessities like groceries. While the federal government claims the operation is coming to an end, many agents still remain in the state, leaving some families anxious they could be targeted.
A recent city of Minneapolis report estimates that more than 76,000 people became food insecure by February. The city estimates an extra $2.4 million a week is needed to keep up with that demand.
Twin Cities food shelves quickly pivoted to delivery options to get food to families sheltering at home. Staff members say many immigrants are still in hiding. And while local and outside donations initially soared, the level of support has dropped drastically in recent weeks.
Matthew Ayres, executive director of Joyce Uptown Food Shelf in south Minneapolis, said the food shelf has seen a 70% drop in direct food donations from its peak in January. At one point, the food shelf was receiving 15,000 pounds of food a week. Now that’s plummeted to about 4,500 pounds a week.
“It feels like some people think that they’ve checked that box,” he said, referring to one-time donations in January. “We’re not seeing … all the dramatic photos and stuff that we used to see in January. And so I think people just feel like it’s solved, and it’s just not solved.”
Ayres said food shelves were already strapped before the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surge began. In November, a government shutdown led to delays and cuts in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments. More cuts to the program are also expected, with new work requirements taking effect April 1.
When SNAP cuts began, the food shelf was crowded, with people lining up outside the door before it opened.
“It was just nonstop,” Ayres said.
Angelica Klebsch, the director of community partnerships and investment at Second Harvest Heartland, one of the largest food banks in Minnesota, said staff dropped what they were doing to help volunteer at food shelves during that time.
“That surge in demand really was a breaking point for the system,” she said.
Then the federal immigration operation began.
Ann Hill, the director of the nonprofit Twin Cities Food Justice, said that foot traffic at food shelves dipped drastically during Operation Metro Surge. In January, foot traffic was down between 50 and 80%, she said.
“People just weren’t showing up, which said to us that they’re not getting food,” she said.
Hill’s group buys unsold food from grocery stories, farmers markets and co-ops, and then delivers the food to community kitchens and food shelves. During the federal operation, the organization moved to delivering food to more than 40 schools, which then distributed it to families in need.
Hill said that her group plans to provide food and donations to schools through the end of the school year.
“So many families haven’t been working … they don’t have any money, so they can’t go out to the grocery store, even if they were brave enough to go out,” she said.
Joyce Food Shelf shifted to packaging emergency food bags, which allowed food shelf visitors to quickly get what they needed and minimize their time outside their homes. Volunteers also started delivering food directly to homes. Each week families receive three bags, one of shelf-stable foods, another of fresh produce and a bag of personal hygiene products.
At Joyce, volunteers were delivering food to about 60 families a week during the peak of ICE activity. That number has dropped slightly, to 55 families. Visits by immigrant clients are still down.
“The need is still there,” Ayres said.
The surge took its toll on the community, including staff at food banks and shelves. Klebsch said a Second Harvest Heartland worker was detained a few blocks away from the food bank’s warehouse. Volunteers delivering food to immigrant families wrote their addresses down on paper and were instructed to swallow the pages if they were questioned by ICE agents.
“There’s also a social trauma that we’ve all experienced,” she said. “What happened here was not normal. It was unprecedented.”
While food shelves, schools and churches have been able to quickly establish procedures to deliver food directly to people at home, some worry how sustainable that model is. Sophia Lenarz-Coy, executive director of the Food Group, a food bank, said her organization is looking at ways to support those smaller groups.
“What is the long-term plan for those groups … and how do we make some of this more sustainable without having it go away?” she said.
Klebsch said she expects the need for food to continue for some time, even as the ICE operation reportedly draws down. But she’s encouraged by Minnesota residents who have stepped up to help those in need.
“There [are] … a lot of folks who really would have been in serious trouble if people weren’t willing to do that,” she said.
How to help
- Donate to or volunteer at your local food shelf. A city of Minneapolis map of food shelves can be found here. A map of Ramsey County food shelves can be found here.
- Donate to food banks like Second Harvest Heartland and The Food Group.
