Minnesota Food Shelves Face Unprecedented Need for Hunger Relief

Rates of hunger and food insecurity are on the rise and have devastating consequences for the health of Minnesota families and communities. Local food shelves are working overtime to respond to rapidly increasing needs for food and emergency assistance.

The Food Group is a nonprofit organization that partners with food shelves across Minnesota to increase the capacity and supply of nutritious and culturally specific foods. In February, The Food Group reported that visits to food shelves increased 133% from 2020 to 2024, reaching a new record high of nearly 9 million visits last year. They have also seen significant increases in participation in their affordable grocery programs in 2025, Twin Cities Mobile Market (TCMM) and Fare for All (FFA). The number of transactions jumped by 20% at TCMM and 9% at FFA sites.

The mounting cost of groceries, along with federal funding cuts to food assistance and hunger relief programs have dramatically increased the need for local food shelves. “Minnesota food shelves have done an incredible job deploying their resources strategically to meet record community need over the past four years,” said Sophie Lenarz-Coy, executive director of The Food Group. “But, many local food shelves are already overextended due to rising need and now facing an unprecedented demand. Our state hunger relief system is simply not set up to fill a $70 million gap in SNAP benefits for November.”

Grocery prices have increased almost 30% over the last five years, and continue to rise. According to the Midwest Consumer Price Index, the cost for groceries in August rose 3.2% over the past year, with a 6% jump in price for meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. Food shelves are an essential safety net, especially as more Minnesotans struggle to put food on the table. A cornerstone of our statewide hunger relief system, food shelves provide a dependable food source each month for countless Minnesota families.

“In Minnesota, roughly 1 in 5 households can’t afford the food they need, and food shelves are experiencing record growth in the number of visits, with over 1/3 of customers being children,” said Sarah Senseman, Director of Community Health Operations at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. “Blue Cross is proud to work with organizations across our state, like the Food Group, to increase access to healthy foods and help pave the way for everyone to live their healthiest life.”

Research shows that food security leads to better lifelong health outcomes, including lower rates of chronic disease and lower lifetime healthcare costs. Food security is also associated with improvements in educational outcomes, academic and career performance. “Food security is fundamental to all aspects of wellbeing, and everyone should have access to healthy and affordable foods without barriers,” said Sarah Senseman.

Food shelves play a pivotal role in public health infrastructure and our collective wellbeing. As more Minnesotans need to access emergency resources at food shelves, increased resources and support are paramount. “During this time of uncertainty, we can practice community care and look after each other to make sure that no one goes hungry, particularly during the upcoming holiday season,” said Sophie Lenarz-Coy. “By giving to your local food shelf, you can help increase their resources and capacity to respond to rising need. Use our find help map to locate your local food shelf.”

You can make a direct impact by volunteering or donating to your local food shelf. This is even more important for smaller and rural food shelves, who depend on volunteers to power critical food access programs. Sharing resources with family, neighbors and community members is another way to help. There are resources to support families during this time of increased need, such as The Food Group’s Minnesota Food Helpline. People can call the helpline at 1-888-711-1151 and get connected with specific resources and food support in their community.

All Minnesotans should have opportunities to make healthy choices and nourish their families. Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we work together to address hunger and food insecurity in our communities.