FROM OUR CEO

It’s easy to speak about resilience when times are calm, but this past year forced us to prove our strength. In 2025, our community faced a perfect storm of compounding challenges that tested our collective strength like never before.

When federal SNAP cuts were approved over the summer and benefits were disrupted by the government shutdown in October, the support system began to fray. Skyrocketing costs for housing, childcare, and groceries forced one in five Minnesota households into food insecurity.

In those moments of deep fragility, this community didn’t falter—it united.

When the need was highest, you showed up. We had over 35,000 volunteer visits to help pack food and emergency boxes. Donors stepped in to help fill the gaps left by funding cuts. Together, we refused to let our neighbors face these challenges alone.

Because of your refusal to give up, the Second Harvest Heartland team was able to move 166 million pounds of food to neighbors via our network, including 71 million pounds of fresh produce and a record 900,000 gallons of milk. Amid widespread fear and uncertainty, our Care Center connected 18,444 households with essential emergency resources.

We should be proud of our shared response, but our perseverance must lead to more permanent solutions. Enduring the hardest times proves our resilience and preventing them defines our future. That is why we are aggressively pursuing stronger anti-hunger policies and launching pilot programs designed to create long-term family stability. We want all of Minnesota to thrive, not just survive.

Thank you for standing with us. Your unwavering commitment is the reason we can look back on a difficult year with pride and look forward to a hopeful and food-secure tomorrow.

With appreciation,

Sarah Moberg, CEO
Second Harvest Heartland

Ending Hunger by the numbers—Your impact in 2025

143+ MILLION
meals provided

48.4 MILLION
pounds of food rescued from store partners

18,444 CASES
facilitated by our Care Center team to provide support accessing food and SNAP

35,424 VOLUNTEERS VISITS
supporting our work

71.8 MILLION POUNDS OF PRODUCE
distributed

Jackie’s Story

For Jackie, perseverance isn’t just a concept; it is daily practice. Raising four active, delightful daughters is a full-time job, made even more demanding by her three girls’ health challenges.

For many years, Jackie’s family was food secure. But the “perfect storm” of 2025—inflation, housing costs, and wage stagnation—forced them back into a precarious position. “Our rent keeps going up and up, and now we just cannot afford food,” Jackie says. “My husband hasn’t received a raise in five years.”

Refusing to let rising costs compromise her children’s nutrition, Jackie began watching online tutorials on how to stretch common ingredients. When things got even tighter, she started supplementing her grocery runs with visits to Hastings Family Service. Through the food shelf’s partnership with Second Harvest Heartland, Jackie accesses the fresh produce, ground beef, and eggs essential for her family’s health.

“It’s delicious food. It’s really amazing,” she says, noting that the support allows her to occasionally provide treats for her girls, maintaining a sense of normalcy during hard times. “It helps get us through ... otherwise we wouldn’t be making it from month to month right now.”

2025 financial statement

COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND IMPACT

This year, thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, we were able to distribute 143 million meals to our neighbors. This achievement was made possible by the remarkable $43.2 million in community donations and $193 million in in-kind product contributions.

RESPONSIBLE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

We are committed to transparency and efficiency. In this fiscal year, 91.6% of our total expenses were dedicated directly to programs, ensuring that we remain focused on fulfilling our mission. Management and general expenses accounted for 4.3%, while fundraising expenses represented 4.1%.

FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP

Our cash, cash equivalents, and investment decreased by $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 $10.4 million decrease in net assets. This change was largely attributed to spending down of resources to bolster food in the community ($5.6 million) and less inventory ($2.6 million). As we continue to invest in our mission, we are proactively planning for the future to ensure the sustainability of our services.

10/1/2024 – 9/30/2025

Board member affiliations are listed as they were during the fiscal year covered by this report.

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

Thank you.