On a chilly morning at the Brian Coyle Center in Minneapolis, Muna Mustafa waited in line long before the center’s food shelf opened its doors. Muna, a mother of four children between the ages of 8 months and 8 years, quietly stood behind her cart in line, hoping to get enough food for her family.
Over the past two years, this food shelf has been a lifeline for this stay-at-home mother, whose family of six lives on a single income. Food stamps and her husband’s income barely cover food, rent, utilities and other household expenses, she said.
“I don’t know what we would have done without this extra help,” she said as she wheeled her cart away from the distribution site after she received her food. In it was milk, macaroni and some fresh produce.
Food shelves across the state are facing a spike in demand, even as rising prices and on-again, off-again federal funding for food stamps affect Minnesotans. For those serving immigrants, the challenges can be even greater.
At a gathering at Karmel Mall last month, Khalid Omar, an organizer with Isaiah Minnesota, said President Donald Trump’s attacks on Somali Minnesotans are a distraction from rising costs that are hitting immigrant communities hard.
“We’re dealing with people not able to pay their rent. We’re dealing with people not able to afford groceries,” he said. “We see our food shelves running out.”
“The reality is that people are struggling, our communities are struggling,” he said.
In November, Isuroon, which provides halal food through four distribution centers, was forced to close its location at the Hubbs Center in St. Paul.
Fartun Weli, the founder and CEO of Isuroon, said her organization started food support to the community in 2016. She said the Hubbs Center location closed due to a funding shortfall.
“Though I’m hoping to reopen the location as soon as we secure enough funds, shutting down the place is the best course of action right now,” she said.
Fartun said that one of the most challenging aspects of running the food shelf is sourcing culturally specific foods, such as halal meat. She said she buys food from a specific supplier who gives them a discounted price in bulk.
Like other nonprofits, Isuroon is facing funding challenges this year at a time when demand for services, including the food shelf, is growing. Isuroon also offers refugee assistance, a domestic abuse hotline and other services.
Fartun said she aims to raise $270,000 to support the Isuroon’s food program for a year, and that amount, only $68,000 is currently secured, with $202,000 still remaining. Currently, Isuroon has an active campaign fundraising page through GiveMN that has raised $31,474 toward a $70,000 goal by mid-December.
Isuroon saw 8,800 food shelf visits last year serving 17,000 clients and their families. This year, in October alone, Isuroon had almost 7,100 food shelf visits. On average, Isuroon sees 100 people a day seeking food assistance, according to a recent newsletter.
Close to 600,000 Minnesotans experience food insecurity according to Feeding America, a national network of food banks. More than 185,000 of those are children. Their data also showed that the number of people relying on food shelves reached a record high in 2024, with an estimated 9 million people visiting food shelf locations statewide.
A study from the University of Minnesota also reveals a significant change in food insecurity since the pandemic. The study suggests that food insecurity has increased by 40% in Minnesota and continues to rise, making it harder to predict and plan for the future.
Families struggle as costs rise
Rising costs are also making it hard for families to maintain stable housing, Fartun said.
“Besides the food shortage in the community, we are also seeing an increase in evictions because many families are forced to choose between paying rent and buying food,” she said.
She said her organization helps families apply for Hennepin County’s eviction-prevention assistance program.
“In the event that a family doesn’t qualify for the eviction prevention assistance program, we help them through the funds of our other programs,” she said.
Fartun said her organization used to receive $600,000 for a three-year grant for domestic and sexual violence funding, but that grant has been cut, and now many of those victims are left unassisted.
She said, with many grants reduced or discontinued, her organization is at risk of laying off its employees.
“Many of our funds have been cut or reduced, and my main goal right now is to make sure I don’t lose my staff,” she said.
Rising demand strains resources
Amano Dube, the director of Pillsbury United Communities’ Brian Coyle Center, who oversees multiple programs, including the food program, said that in recent years, his organization has seen a steady increase in food demand.
He said beginning in January, the organization experienced an increase in all its locations, whether at the food shelf or at their cafe, where halal ready-made meals are distributed. That demand spiked during the government shutdown this fall, when federal food aid was at risk.
In November, Pillsbury United’s Oak Park cafe in north Minneapolis set a record, serving 400 people in just 1.5 hours, with a weekly total of more than 1,200 meals. They saw a similar pattern at Waite House Cafe in the Phillips neighborhood, which serves 600 free meals weekly.
At the Brian Coyle Center, over 600 free meals are served five days a week through the Kitchen Coalition of Second Harvest Heartland, in partnership with Oasis Mediterranean Grill.
“At Brian Coyle Center, the ready meals are mainly focused on elderly people, unhoused individuals, and immigrant families in transition, but if someone who is hungry comes to the food distribution site, we serve them food,” Dube said.
He said because of this year’s high food demand, the center’s budget is running low, so they have been relying on individual donations, grants from the city and other organizations, and donations from community food stores.
Similar to Isuroon, Pillsbury United Communities offers halal food and faces similar challenges in restocking it, particularly at the Brian Coyle Center in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, where large Muslim families live, Dube said.
“With prices of commodities increasing due to inflation, many people who used to afford their livelihood are now seeking assistance,” he said.
“Particularly this year, we have seen many people, especially within our Latino community, who are afraid to go to work or visit food shelf locations to pick up food, due to fear of being detained,” he said.
“It’s very challenging to see when a hungry person comes to get food, and all we can say is ‘I’m sorry our food pantries are empty and we have nothing to give you,’” Dube said.
Pillsbury United Communities and Isuroon are fundraising and hoping the community responds to their call.
For Muna, and others visiting the Brian Coyle, each visit brings uncertainty over whether the food shelf will have enough to serve them.
“The food is good when we get it,” she said during her visit. Grateful for what she received, she wheeled her cart home.
