Minnesotans made nearly 9 million visits to food shelves in 2024, a record high for the fourth consecutive year. That’s 1.4 million more visits than in 2023 and 2.5 times more visits than pre-pandemic 2019.
In February, The Food Group released our 2024 Minnesota Food Shelf Visits Report, which tracks 487 TEFAP-participating food shelves across Minnesota. Broadly, Minnesota saw increased food shelf visits in 2024, but protective factors have helped curb the rise:
While food shelf visits continue to rise statewide, the good news is they aren’t rising as quickly as 2022 and 2023. I applaud Minnesota food shelves for strategically expanding their programming to meet rising need. Tighter safety nets like the state child income tax credit and universal free school meals also make a meaningful difference for families experiencing hunger.
Sophia Lenarz-Coy, The Food Group Executive Director
Who is impacted by food insecurity?
Food insecurity is a statewide issue impacting Minnesotans of all ages. In 2024, Minnesota’s 87 counties saw an 18.4% average increase in food shelf visits. The ten counties with the most significant jump included both urban and rural areas. 53% of 2024 Minnesota food shelf visitors were adults; 36% were children; and 11% were seniors.
It’s important to remember that visits to food shelves are more than just statistics. They are a direct response to the challenges many families are facing. Each visit represents a family in need, a child or a senior being fed, or a parent struggling to make ends meet.
Tikki Brown, Department of Children, Youth, and Family Commissioner
Food assistance needs have dramatically increased from pre-pandemic levels with the heaviest burden on vulnerable populations. A statewide hunger survey conducted by Second Harvest Heartland and Wilder Research found that 26% of Minnesota households with at least one child under 18 years old were food insecure in 2024. They also recorded wide disparities among households of color with 40% reporting food insecurity compared to 20% of households overall.
Housing and rental prices have soared in recent years, leaving households with less money to afford nutritious food. A 2024 Minnesota Housing Partnership survey found that households of color experienced a higher housing cost burden than white households as well as senior renter households.
Additionally, some communities do not have access to a local grocery store or transportation to get there. In other cases, food access was disrupted by development projects cutting through historically Black and Brown neighborhoods such as the Rondo community in St. Paul, Minnesota.
What other factors are driving the 2024 jump in visits?
Minnesotans are feeling the multi-year strain of high food prices and declining COVID-19 emergency food assistance benefits such as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP).
Folks are struggling to make ends meet. We have a ton of people who are working and simply don’t have the resources to be able to get through. So, coming to visit us means they have a cartload of groceries and that frees up their budget and they can focus on some of those other expenses they have in their life.
Michelle Ness, PRISM Executive Director
Food prices increased significantly through the COVID-19 pandemic and remain high. The strain of high prices compounds month to month, cutting into savings and making it hard to keep up with costs. The same groceries that cost $100 in 2019 cost $128 in 2024—a 28% increase over four years. While inflation slowed this past year, Minnesotans will feel the economic impact for years.
At the same time, average monthly SNAP benefits dipped dramatically in 2023 when COVID-era emergency allotments to SNAP ended. Minnesotans on SNAP had an average of $100 less each month to spend on the food they need in 2024 compared to early 2023.
What’s helping Minnesotans access the food they need?
Minnesota food shelves offer an essential lifeline for families and individuals experiencing food insecurity.
The food shelf has been lifechanging. I don’t have to worry anymore. It’s a huge weight off my shoulders to know someone is looking out for me.
Destiny, Food Shelf Participant
Remarkably, Minnesota food shelves have met increased need over the past four years with courage and creativity, nimbly expanding their programming to increase access. During COVID, many food shelves began to allow for unlimited visits in addition to expanding hours and days of operations. The result has been a more responsive, human-centered food shelf experience for Minnesotans facing hunger.
Food shelves in Minnesota are amazingly great at what they do. So when we look at all the innovations that have happened since COVID, everything they’ve done to expand services to, do good community outreach, to get foods that are more reflective of what communities are asking for—all of those amazing programmatic innovations to respond to community need have meant that more and more people see this as a great resource.
Sophia Lenarz-Coy, The Food Group Executive Director
In addition to a strong network of anti-hunger partners and organizations, volunteers and donors play a powerful role in the statewide hunger relief system.
Looking Back
Over the past 20 years, food shelf visits have grown tremendously. Visits are five times higher today than in 2004.
We had almost 26,000 visits last year alone. We’re in Golden Valley. People from over 100 different cities in Minnesota have come to visit us. And so, the need is very real, and our challenge is being able to have enough quality food for 2,000 visits a month.
Michelle Ness, PRISM Executive Director
Looking Forward
Even as we make notable progress toward ending hunger in Minnesota, we anticipate difficult roadblocks ahead. The anti-hunger sector is facing significant challenges and threats. Federal funding remains uncertain, and a proposed budget reconciliation bill would cut billions from food assistance programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). More than ever, food shelves and programs like SNAP serve as irreplaceable safeguards against hunger.
It’s so important to continue to support food shelves and hunger relief programs in every way we can. These programs play an essential role in making sure that no Minnesotan goes hungry.
Tikki Brown, Department of Children, Youth, and Family Commissioner
Alongside our partners, The Food Group is committed to protecting and expanding critical services for food-insecure Minnesotans.
Together, we can invest in food for today and create lasting change for tomorrow.
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