498 MN-7, Hutchinson, MN 55350 | (320) 587-4796
This March, food shelves across Minnesota will be working with their communities to raise cash and food donations. All donations received between February 25th and April 8th at 1pm are eligible for additional grant funds through Greater Minneapolis Community Connections (GMCC) as part of the Minnesota FoodShare Campaign.
For this reason (and many others) we are excited to highlight the McLeod Emergency Food Shelf (MEFS) as our March business of the month! The food shelf provides service to 1 in every 7 McLeod County residents – in 2017 they served over 5,159 distinct individuals, had a total of 7,376 total distributions, and an average of 616 pick-ups per month. This was all made possible because of the donations provided by our community.
MEFS was organized in 1983 to aid residents of McLeod County in emergency hunger situations and provide information for additional support services beyond the initial “hunger relief”. 35+ years later, MEFS continues to serve McLeod County both in terms of short-term emergency support as well as in the long-term vision of providing dignified, unbiased access to nutrition.
MEFS strives to eliminate food insecurity in our community – to make the “need” less of an issue and focus on equipping individuals with the tools they need to not only survive but thrive. Food security is having consistent, equitable, and affordable access to food of nutritional value. To really focus on providing food security for families and individuals in our community, MEFS is participating in a transformation process called SuperShelf.
The SuperShelf transformation will result in physical differences in their space as well as several internal process changes. The way foods are currently sourced, grouped, displayed, promoted, and distributed is being evaluated and new systems will be implemented. The SuperShelf project will bring new systems to life and carry these processes into the future.
SuperShelf will also help MEFS make more impactful connections with the greater community. Many people aren’t aware of where MEFS’ food comes from, how people are invited to participate in the program, who’s actually accessing it, and the program’s overall impact; the story is much different now than it has been in the past. With the help of SuperShelf, MEFS hopes to further reduce (and eventually eliminate!) the stigma and barriers which have developed over the years.
The McLeod Emergency Food Shelf is always grateful for donations; MEFS shared, “Our THANK-YOU’S are often underwhelming for the generous thought, time, and energy given every day. Our ability to meet the needs of the community are only possible because of the support given by the community.” Consider what your family, business, or organization could do to support the McLeod Emergency Food Shelf this March!