Second Harvest Heartland celebrates new statewide prepared meals funding
By Katie Fongvongsa, WCCO Intern
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- Second Harvest Heartland and local nonprofit organizations announced a newly passed state budget for prepared meals.
According to Kitchen Coalition, 15% of Minnesotans face food insecurity. Nonprofits and tribal nations who work towards hunger relief may receive a part of the statewide $3.3 million fund.
Eligible Minnesotans are those who do not have access to a kitchen, face disability or illness, or are going through a crisis or in a transition.
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Kitchen Coalition, a program of Second Harvest Heartland, focuses on working with restaurants and caterers that feed back into the community culturally. It targets locally like Cheng Heng, which distributes to Frogtown every Tuesday and Friday.
After Kitchen Coalition started over three years ago, it has already served over 4 million meals with more than 75 partners. Participants can choose from multiple food options near them and even make requests. Meals can just plainly be prepared or distributed hot. The organization serves the greater Minneapolis- St. Paul area, Rochester, and Duluth. Now it is expanding into western Wisconsin and North Dakota food banks.
Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota, a separate distribution system that supported this grant with Second Harvest Heartland, serves older adults with a focus on dietary needs. Open Arms of Minnesota provides medically tailored meals from scratch to older adults as well.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services is expected to allocate the funds to Kitchen Coalition, Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota, Open Arms of Minnesota and other organizations.