Our Minnesota free meal program began 37 years ago, in 1982, with one dining site each in St. Paul and Minneapolis. Today we offer over 3,500 meals daily, are present in 10 Minnesota counties, and are the largest open to the public free meal program in the state.
Mission
We provide free, healthy meals to Minnesotans in areas where need is greatest. We provide free, healthy meals to Minnesotans in areas where need is greatest. Our enhanced mission emphasizes nutrition in every meal, which includes local farm-to-table dining. We are always guided by our vision that all people, regardless of socioeconomic, cultural, religious, or ethnic background, deserve to meet their basic needs for food, dignity and respect.
Why support us? Because...
1 in 11 Minnesota households are affected by hunger. (Feeding America)
Minnesotans miss 100 million meals each year because of need even when food banks are considered. (Feeding America)
Minnesota’s child food insecurity is 13.8%. (Feeding America)
$1.6 billion is the annual projected cost of hunger in Minnesota. (The University of Minnesota Food Industry Center’s Cost and Benefit of Hunger Study (2010))
According to a report by Wilder Research, nearly 350,000 Minnesotans live in a food desert.