Ogles Marketplace Foods and Forest Lake School Stuff a Truck for the Grand Rapids Food Shelf

Forest Lake Elementary School held a food drive and the classroom collecting the most food won a Pizza Party paid for by Ogle’s.  Todd Peart’s Third Grade Classroom was the winner.  The school brought in a total of 743 pounds.  All of the food collected will be donated to the Grand Rapids Food Shelf.  The Stuff –a -Truck store promotion also provided Ogles  customers a way to help the food shelf by providing bags pre-packed with staple food items for customers to buy at check out. The effort resulted in 8 pallets of filled bags or 3,572 pounds of food for the Grand Rapids Food Shelf.

“It was a great collaboration between the store and the school and according to Kurt Ogle, Store Director, and we hope to get more schools involved next year. “ He added, “ The customers have been very supportive and he attributes that to the fact that so many people we all know are living through some pretty tough times and most people who are able to give want to help.”

Ogles employees pictured are:  Kurt Ogle, Jim Davis, Rick Chambers, Dave Hill, Jeremy Mackey

Give to the Max Day a Huge Success

Support for Second Harvest North Central Food Bank went through the roof on Tuesday’s Give to the Max Day. According to GiveMN.org, in 24 hours, $14 million in charitable donations went to over 3,400 Minnesota non-profit organizations, including over $20,000 to Second Harvest North Central Food Bank. This additional support could not have come at a better time, since the need for hunger relief grows every day due to the recession.

We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from this promotion. People were calling to ask if Second Harvest was part of the campaign and how to access it. We even had several people come in to the food bank and use our computers to make their donations. Donors were spurred on by the match that was offered and by the good coverage by the media.

According to a story in the today’s Star Tribune, the $500,000 match will only be .04 cents on the dollar, but that still adds up to feeding extra people here at Second Harvest. The match encouraged more people to give at a time of great need.

Many people throughout the state supported hunger relief organizations and Second Harvest Food Banks in particular. Second Harvest Heartland in St. Paul received the most donations overall and Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank in Duluth was ninth. These two food banks, along with Second Harvest North Central in Grand Rapids and three other food banks in Minnesota are part of the Feeding America network, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization.

The need is great this year. There is no sign of the recession lifting in the communities served by the food bank. In addition to large numbers of the poor and working poor, many newly unemployed people are exhausting their resources and coming to Second Harvest and their partner agencies for help.

Food shelf use in the region continues to increase as the recession continues (despite reports otherwise) and unemployment stays high. Compared to the first three quarters of 2008, household visits to food shelves in the region served by Second Harvest North Central Food Bank are up 13%. People who were able to get by on their own before, are now finding they need help meeting basic needs. As we enter the winter home heating season, we expect even more people will have to turn to food shelves to put food on the table and keep the house warm.

It is clear that in tough times like these, Minnesotans respond to help their neighbors in need.

St. Andrew’s Church Helps Feed the Need

Confirmation students and leaders from St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids volunteered at Second Harvest on Wednesday, Nov. 18th and have the distinction of being the first volunteer group to help “Feed the Need” this holiday season.

Students cleaned and labeled cans, repacked some nutritional products and un-cased and stacked several food items for the Itasca Holiday Program food boxes.

It takes the work of many hands to provide for thousands of people in need in our area.  Thanks to groups like St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church Confirmation Students, Second Harvest is able to “Feed the Need” during the holidays and all year long. 

Give to the MAX today

Spread the Word!  Support Second Harvest North Central Food Bank and Give to the Max today (Tuesday) from 8am until 8am tomorrow, Wednesday, November 18^th.

Especially this year, we need your help to feed thousands of people in crisis, our friends and neighbors, in north central Minnesota. 

All donations made between 8am today and 8am tomorrow will be eligible for a portion of $500,000 from several Minnesota Foundations including the Blandin Foundation.  And - Thanks to the Blandin Foundation there are NO FEES for this transaction.  100% of your donation comes right to Second Harvest. 

Go to GiveMN.org and support Second Harvest today.     

          

Itasca Farm Service Helps Feed the Need and the birds too

Starting today, Itasca Farm Service will help Second Harvest Feed the Need this holiday season. From November 16 through 21^st, when customers purchase a 50 pound bag of Black Oil Sunflower Seeds at a special price, Itasca Farm Service will donate $2.00 to the Itasca Holiday Program.

Join Itasca Farm Service in Feeding the Need and help provide holiday food boxes to Itasca area families in need. The community will benefit and your birds will thank you.

Itasca County Farm Service • 900 NW 4^th Street • Grand Rapids, MN (218) 326-4102

Feed the Need Today

Today Second Harvest Food Bank launches our 15^th annual Itasca Holiday Program. The theme this year is “Feed the Need” and the message couldn’t be more appropriate thanks to the dire state of the economy in northern Minnesota.

Second Harvest’s Itasca Holiday Program provides food boxes and new toys to Itasca County families in need during the holidays. This comprehensive program eliminates duplication of effort by multiple human service providers and engages the entire community to provide a brighter holiday season for friends and neighbors living with limited resources.

The need is great this year. There is no sign of the recession lifting in the communities we serve. In addition to large numbers of the poor and working poor, many newly unemployed people are exhausting their resources and coming to Second Harvest and our partner agencies for help.

Holidays are an especially stressful time. Add the cost of winter home heating expense and people living on the edge are thrown into crisis. Thanks to a caring community, we are able to “Feed the Need” during the holidays and throughout the year.

For more information on four ways to help “Feed the Need” check out our website: www.secondharvestncfb.com.

Hard Times for Struggling Families

Food shelf use in our region continues to increase as the recession continues (despite reports otherwise) and unemployment stays high. Compared to the first three quarters of 2008, household visits to food shelves are up 13%. People who were able to get by on their own before, are now finding they need help meeting basic needs. As we enter the winter home heating season, we expect even more people will have to turn to food shelves to put food on the table and keep the house warm.

One in eight Americans struggles with hunger. In Minnesota, 11% of our children live in poverty and 33% of children receive free or reduced lunch, according to the Minnesota Kids Count Data Book 2009. Children are especially vulnerable and suffer long term consequences from hunger and poverty. The current economic crisis will negatively affect the health and education of many of our children for years to come.