FROM OUR CEO

In Minnesota we are known for a high quality of life that, truth be told, just hasn’t been available to all of us. In fact, 1 in 5 Minnesota families cannot afford the food they need.

That’s why we launched Make Hunger History in January 2024. It’s a bold campaign to cut hunger in half for all Minnesotans by 2030. It’s more food for right now—as a food bank, that’s what we do best—and big changes to make hunger less common in the future. It’s more real-time information on hunger, so we can track our shared progress year over year. And it’s a call to lean into the simple truth that compassion without action is just sentiment.

In this report to the community, you’ll find stories about the ways we worked to make hunger history in our communities during the last year. We established a partnership with a clinic to connect South Minneapolis neighbors to fresh food and health care—delivering two basic needs at once. We partnered with restaurants and chefs to take food bank ingredients and turn them into nutritious prepared meals for community centers, senior apartment buildings, and homeless encampments. We assisted neighbors with SNAP applications through our new Care Center. And we provided more than 145 million meals to neighbors.

As you can see, at Second Harvest Heartland we spend our days in the highest gear possible, but we can’t afford to lose sight of the big picture.

The status quo is not an option; the need is too great, and we must do better for one another. We need longer term fixes and the help of the whole community to make ending hunger a reality.

We are so grateful for your financial support of food banks, food shelves and our neighbors. How we help when called upon is the truest, most lasting part of our story. Let’s continue making a story worthy of us—all we’ve been given and all we can accomplish together. Let’s make hunger history in Minnesota.

Gratefully,

Allison O’Toole, CEO
Second Harvest Heartland

Ending Hunger by the numbers—Your impact in 2024

145+ MILLION
meals provided

45.3 MILLION
pounds of food rescued from store partners

18,004 CASES
facilitated by our Care Center team to provide support accessing food and SNAP

1.3 MILLION PREPARED MEALS
provided by Kitchen Coalition

35,597 VOLUNTEERS VISITS
supporting our work

67.7 MILLION POUNDS OF PRODUCE
distributed

$1.4 MILLION IN GRANTS
given to help support food shelf and meal program partners

Getting Local to Address a HUNGER HOTSPOT

Second Harvest Heartland partnered with Abbott, The Sanneh Foundation, and Community-University Health Care Center (CUHCC) to provide food and health care in a south Minneapolis neighborhood

Statewide hunger rates are skyrocketing but certain Minnesota communities have been especially hard hit. To identify the communities experiencing a “food gap”—high food insecurity combined with relatively fewer pounds of food entering the local hunger-relief system—Second Harvest Heartland created a hunger mapping model to uncover hunger hotspots throughout the state. Reviewing these hotspots, seven focus communities were selected where targeted partnership and support could significantly move the needle on hunger.

“A big part of the Make Hunger History initiative is reducing hunger today so that we can prevent it tomorrow,” explains Second Harvest Heartland CEO Allison O’Toole. “That means identifying communities in our service area where needs are highest, working with leaders and our neighbors in those communities on solutions that best address the issue, and then enacting plans to get more food where it’s needed most.”

One such focus community, the Ventura Village neighborhood of south Minneapolis, has a hunger rate of about 24%—four times higher than the rest of Hennepin County. To start addressing this food gap, Second Harvest Heartland joined Community-University Health Care Center (CUHCC), a community clinic located in Ventura Village, in hosting free food distributions to provide patients and community members with fresh produce. With assistance from hunger-relief partner The Sanneh Foundation, Second Harvest Heartland provided fruits and vegetables, while CUHCC offered healthcare services and access to community health workers at monthly distributions during the 2024 harvest season.

This combination of nutrition and health outreach came together through the involvement of Second Harvest Heartland’s partners, the global healthcare company Abbott, and its foundation, Abbott Fund. Abbott Fund had supported CUHCC’s outreach for several years and approached Second Harvest Heartland about partnering with the clinic to provide nutritious food to patients. Thanks to leadership, employee volunteers, and financial support from Abbott Fund, the food distribution at CUHCC went on to support hundreds of households.

“Nutritious food is important for good health, but it may not be easily available or affordable for people who need it most,” said Kathryn McKenzie, vice president of Abbott Fund. “We’re grateful to Second Harvest Heartland, CUHCC and The Sanneh Foundation for partnering together to develop this community-driven solution to help people live healthier lives.”

Second Harvest Heartland is proud to have joined forces with Abbott, The Sanneh Foundation, and CUHCC to begin addressing a hunger hotspot and provide two critical needs in one location.

Making Hunger History

Progress and Positioning

It will take all of us to Make Hunger History. That’s why in the two years leading up to the launch of our initiative to cut hunger in half by 2030, we gathered insights from neighbors, partners, and community leaders to guide our work. These conversations created five areas of focus:

MORE FOOD WHERE IT’S NEEDED

While the data and community conversations prove that food banking alone isn’t enough to end hunger, food banking is a crucial part of a growing effort. So, we took a close look at our deliveries to find more efficient schedules and routes, while keeping our delivery costs flat. This increased the pounds we delivered by 18%. This includes 20% more protein and 30% more produce—essential nutritional building blocks most requested by Minnesota families.

“We love the different types of vegetables. We try to eat as healthy as possible, as well as economical as possible,” says Luis, a neighbor who uses The Open Door Pantry in Eagan, one of Second Harvest Heartland’s partners. “We eat a lot of meals that are protein heavy—so, chicken and beef. But we also want to include all of the vegetables to make sure we have enough for everyone.”

FINDING FAMILIES GROCERY DOLLARS

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the most effective and largest anti-hunger program in the country. However, navigating the application process can be difficult for neighbors to do alone. Recognizing this, Second Harvest Heartland ramped up our Care Center’s capacity with the technology and staffing to handle up to 30% increased volume.

One neighbor who used the Care Center was feeling overwhelmed by the process of applying for SNAP. “They had hit a wall in their application process, and so I was able to connect them with our amazing county contact to help smooth out the process to proceed to qualification,” says Dana, one of the Second Harvest Heartland’s Care Center advisors.

The Care Center met its goal of supporting 15% more neighbors in 2024 and plans to do the same in 2025.

TURNING ADVOCACY INTO ACTION

As the state’s largest food bank, we saw that the need confronting our state’s hunger-relief system was becoming unsustainable and knew that public policy had the ability to help turn the tide.

Thanks to the hard work of Second Harvest Heartland’s Public Affairs team and our food bank and food shelf partners, we secured more than $10 million for hunger relief in 2024.

“We must continue to build on investments in the emergency food system along with universal school meals and the child tax credit in order to end hunger once and for all,” says Second Harvest Heartland CEO Allison O’Toole.

GETTING LOCAL TO GET IT DONE

Through our mapping and data collection, Second Harvest Heartland chose seven communities where neighborhood partnerships could significantly move the needle on hunger. Once identified, Second Harvest Heartland has started to host listening sessions to learn about each community to understand how we could help organizations scale up their services and purchase culturally affirming food.

Furthermore, direct support has been provided to community-led food programs through the Rising Partners program. This program allows a small cohort of agency partners to receive resources, one-on-one support and additional funding to increase organizational sustainability.

SETTING BENCHMARKS

The centerpiece of our plan to track shared progress is the Statewide Hunger Study, released in January 2025. We partnered with Wilder Research on this high-resolution look at hunger across the state, to identify the kinds of support families are using to meet their food needs and where more help is needed. Among the report’s key findings:

• 1 in 5 Minnesota households cannot afford the food they need and must use external support such as food shelves and SNAP to meet their needs.

• Another 1 in 5 Minnesota households are worried they may experience food insecurity within the next year.

• Food insecurity is higher in southwestern and northern Minnesota, with 1 in 4 households classified as food insecure.

• Racial disparities are significant, as only 60% of households of color are food secure, compared to 81% of households overall.

• Households with seniors or children are especially vulnerable to food insecurity.

These numbers show the stark reality of food insecurity in our state and outline the work that needs to be done to cut hunger in half for all Minnesotans by 2030. Second Harvest Heartland will be conducting comparison studies during each year of the Make Hunger History initiative, allowing our partners and supporters to track progress along the way. With these areas of focus, combined with the efforts of our partners and the generous support of our advocates and donors, we are confident in our mission of ending hunger together.

The Second Harvest Heartland Care Center celebrated their first year of taking live calls 8am-4:30pm Monday to Friday. Providing live calls means that neighbors can get help right when they want it, alongside traditional options like call backs and appointments.

“I never thought I would need [SNAP] again,” says a neighbor who utilized the Care Center to help enroll in SNAP. “SNAP is a game changer for me due to higher costs.”

Neighbors are encouraged to contact the Care Center phone line, where an advisor provides real time help with applying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and finding other food resources including their local food shelf and senior food boxes. The Care Center also makes referrals to top requested basic needs like energy, rent, or housing support partners. Neighbors can communicate with staff in English, Spanish, Somali, and Hmong, or use LanguageLine for other languages, and their call is confidential.

In 2024 the Care Center managed 18,004 cases*, with 47,769 touchpoints with neighbors, directing people to the valuable and comprehensive help that they may need. “Our team has the experience and empathy to support neighbors whether it takes one or five contacts to resolve a question,” says Robin Manthie, Director of Neighbor Services for Second Harvest Heartland. “There is no single answer for neighbors seeking food support.”

*A case is classified as one or more touchpoints with a household to resolve a question about access to food programs or SNAP.

KITCHEN COALITION PROVIDES MORE THAN MEALS

For far too many people facing hunger, receiving groceries only solves part of the problem. Since its founding in 2020, Kitchen Coalition has provided nourishment to individuals and families with barriers to cooking. The program provides meals to people who don’t have a kitchen, are managing a crisis or time of transition, or have health issues that make cooking impossible. In 2024, Kitchen Coalition reached a huge milestone, delivering its 5 millionth meal in March, quickly followed by its 6 millionth meal in December. Kitchen Coalition has not only delivered high quality meals to people who need them but has also invested over 26 million dollars into local communities since its inception. Partner restaurants and caterers are paid at cost for their work, which means Kitchen Coalition directly invests in neighborhood businesses, offering workface stabilization and capacity building, all while keeping communities fed. Kitchen Coalition indirectly employs 70 FTEs through the program, and select kitchens are even building workforce capacity—kitchens like Fhima’s and Chowgirls hire employees who start off preparing Kitchen Coalition meals before graduating to other areas of business.

Marisol, a chef at Eat for Equity, a chef-driven scratch kitchen that focuses on uplifting community, prepares meals for Kitchen Coalition using ingredients received from Second Harvest Heartland. “I feel very lucky that my staff enjoys the creativity of turning these ingredients into something really exciting to prepare and exciting for people to eat. The first thing I look at is what fresh produce is available—I was raised on a farm and was also a Puerto Rican in small-town Nebraska. I have this mix of wanting to make food that aligns with my culture and community but also use ingredients that are available to me. I like making meals that are seasonal and use flavors that are available.”

Keystone Community Services, a Kitchen Coalition distribution partner, provides meals to the Saint Paul community. Their mission of strengthening the capacity of individuals to improve their quality of life aligns with providing fresh meals to neighbors.

“Kitchen Coalition has been central to making our mission a success,” says Nick Hedman, Keystone Community Services’ Warehouse Supervisor. “We receive meals from Kitchen Coalition twice a week. I love how unique each meal is. I’ve gotten everything from chicken tacos to breakfast sausage, to spaghetti, and roast chicken.”

The findings of our first annual Statewide Hunger Study show that households with seniors or children present are especially vulnerable to food insecurity. Kitchen Coalition delivers ready-to-eat meals to these and other demographics with barriers to cooking, helping them to thrive. “Impact of this magnitude is only possible when you have a dedicated, mission-driven coalition of community organizations and businesses that are working toward the same goal—ensuring that neighbors have a meal that is right for them,” says Sarah Peterson, Director of Kitchen Coalition. “The diversity of our program partners and their knowledge of community needs and assets enables us to deliver meals where they are most needed and will do the most good.”

Launching in 2024, the Nourish MN coalition brings together various organizations to address our community’s needs together. Over a series of discussions, the coalition identified its initial priorities, which include childcare affordability, housing choices, transit access, senior nutrition, and Medicaid flexibility.

Second Harvest Heartland and members of the Nourish MN coalition meet with legislators to talk with them about specific solutions that could provide basic needs support in their districts.

“Hunger is not a stand-alone issue,” says Zach Rodvold, Director of Public Affairs of Second Harvest Heartland. “The increasing costs of childcare, health care, and housing are all straining families’ finances and contributing to rising rates of food insecurity.”

With the passage of Universal School Meals, as well as the Child Tax Credit, it is clear that policymakers on all sides are willing to join forces to support Minnesota families.

“Hunger doesn’t discriminate by political party or geography,” says Allison O’Toole, CEO of Second Harvest Heartland. “Addressing it head-on should be something that both parties can rally behind next year and in the years ahead.”

2024 financial statement

COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND IMPACT

This year, thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, we were able to distribute a record 145 million meals to our neighbors. This achievement was made possible by the remarkable $58.2 million in community donations and $216.7 million in in-kind product and service contributions.

RESPONSIBLE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Of the $58.2 million in donations, $17.8 million represents pledges with multi-year payment plans. These future commitments reflect the ongoing dedication of our supporters and contribute to the strength of our long-term financial health.

We are committed to transparency and efficiency. In this fiscal year, 92.5% of our total expenses were dedicated directly to Program Services, ensuring that most of our resources go toward fulfilling our mission. Management and general expenses accounted for 3.6%, while fundraising expenses represented 3.9%.

FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP

Our cash and cash equivalents decreased by $6.2 million year-over-year. This strategic reduction reflects our commitment to utilizing available resources to address the immediate needs of our community.

The organization experienced a $14.7 million increase in net assets. This positive change was largely attributed to favorable investment returns ($7.4 million) and pledge revenue ($17.9 million). As we continue to invest in our community, we are proactively planning for the future to ensure the sustainability of our services.

10/1/2023 – 9/30/2024

 We couldn’t do this work without the generous contributions from our donors. 

Thank you.