Participants select groceries at Community Emergency Services (CES) in Minneapolis Minnesotans made 9,026,843 visits to food shelves in 2025, the most visits ever recorded. The data comes from The Food Group’s 2025 Minnesota Food Shelf Visits Report, which tracks 470 TEFAP-participating food shelves across Minnesota. This year marks a historic high for the fourth year in a row and 2.5 times more visits than pre-pandemic 2019. Food shelf visits have risen drastically in both urban […] Read more
Fear Should Never Be A Barrier to Food: The Food Group and Partners Respond to Operation Metro Surge
For the past three months, increased ICE presence in Minnesota has incited fear and obstructed food access for many communities of color. Immigrants have been afraid to step outside their homes, even for simple errands or to attend worship. Hard working people missed shifts and businesses shuttered. Children stayed home from school and daycare. Families […] Read more
PUBLISHED: March 24, 2026
CATEGORIES: Blog, Mission moment, Partner Spotlight, Volunteer Spotlight, Volunteers
The Power of Nutrition Access in Emergencies and Beyond
Equitable access to nutritious food has been a guiding value at The Food Group for more than 25 years. The past two months have tested that value in unexpected ways. Immigrant communities targeted by ICE faced unprecedented barriers to food access. Families could not leave their homes to visit grocery stores or food shelves. Food shelves and […] Read more
Immigrant Community Food Access Response
Rapid Response At The Food Group, we recognize the important and valuable role immigrants play throughout our food system and community. From growing, harvesting, processing, and distributing culturally connected and local food; their leadership, labor, planning, and investment are critical. We see everyday food disparities across race. As communities of color are being targeted, we must continue […] Read more
The Mental Toll of Hunger—and How SNAP Cuts Add to It
For Minnesota mom Tasha*, finding the right food to nourish her family is a lot of work. Multiple members of her family have chronic illnesses with specific dietary needs. To meet those needs on a limited budget, Tasha sometimes needs both food shelf support and federal food assistance through SNAP. But, accessing these resources takes time and energy—a […] Read more
