The Food Group works to fight hunger and nourish our community by providing nutritious food and support services to over 250 hunger relief partners throughout Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. We believe in increasing access to high-quality fresh produce for families and individuals experiencing food insecurity. To accomplish this goal, we focus on working with communities to grow and rescue fresh local produce, which we then distribute to our hunger relief partners and the families they serve.
GROWING
The Food Group Farm is located on the front lawn of our property in New Hope, MN. With the help of volunteers, we grow and harvest thousands of pounds of pesticide-free fresh produce each season to be donated to food shelf partners.
Giving Gardens are small urban gardens dedicated to donating at least half their bounty to food-insecure households. Since 2014, we have started over seven Giving Garden sites, and have written a toolkit to help additional locations start Giving Gardens in their own communities.
GLEANING
What is gleaning? Collecting surplus fresh produce from farms, markets, orchards, and gardens that would otherwise go to waste.
Volunteer Opportunities: 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month beginning July 10th(9:30am-12pm) (7/10, 7/24, 8/14, 8/28, 9/11)
EDUCATION
Our Community Food Leader Program provides participants with knowledge of and practical hands-on experience in food systems, nutrition, and policy. As a result of this program, Community Food Leaders are positioned to become healthy food advocates in their communities.
Community Education Classes are hosted throughout the year and include topics such as fruit tree maintenance, creating healthy pollinator habitats, tending backyard gardens, and planting edible landscaping.
PROCESSING
We reduce food waste and increase the availability of produce in the winter months by rescuing produce in times of abundance, processing it, and distributing it to local hunger relief partners during times when fresh produce isn’t seasonally available.
GET INVOLVED
There are many different ways you can help increase access to fresh produce in our community:
- Volunteer at harvest and gleaning events
- Grow and donate fresh produce to your food shelf
- Make a tax-deductible financial gift to support our work
