Another Successful Dish Gala!
We were thrilled to welcome our supporters to the 21st Annual Dish Gala on Saturday, October 26, 2024 at the Hilton Minneapolis. KARE 11’s Alicia Lewis and Jason Hackett were the emcees for Second Harvest Heartland’s signature event. It was a great moment for our community to come together to create a future that’s better for all Minnesotans. Over $1.6 million dollars were raised as guests enjoyed silent and live auctions, inspiring stories, dinner, and entertainment by The Covers. Thank you to our sponsors, table hosts, auction donors, and everyone who helped make Dish a success!
A Big Assist
Championship-winning Professional Hockey Player Taylor Heise stopped by to help pack apples at our Second Harvest Heartland Volunteer Center. In addition, this Professional Women’s Hockey League season, each time Taylor feeds a teammate an assist—which you hockey fans know is called an “apple”—Honey Bear Brands Pazazz Apples will donate 600 pounds of apples to us. We are grateful for this partnership, and love having an extra reason to cheer on the Minnesota Frost this season!
Collaborating for Good
A collaborative effort between Nourish and the University of St. Thomas is helping both parties learn more about food insecurity in our community. Nourish, a Frogtown-area food shelf in St. Paul, grew out of a partnership with Second Harvest Heartland during the pandemic, starting as an on-site meal program for kids at Mount Olivet Lab School. Nourish expanded their services to provide groceries, fresh produce, and other food shelf items to neighbors in the Frogtown area and beyond. When Nourish was asked to work with students enrolled in the University of St. Thomas’s Negotiating with a Positive Influence course, Andrea, their director, jumped at the opportunity. The goal of the class is for students to learn negotiation skills to help Nourish bring in financial donations as a semester-long project.
Thanks to our Volunteers!
Pete Wilson volunteers his time and financially donates to Second Harvest Heartland on a regular basis. He has lived in Minnesota for 42 years—currently “a stone’s throw” from Second Harvest Heartland’s Volunteer Center in Brooklyn Park. Pete started coming to volunteer through his work—what he calls his “first hook.” After his retirement, he came to help pack during Give to the Max Day, working three shifts in a row. “That was my second hook!”
Now, the Volunteer Center Team relies on Pete as one of their lead volunteers. “I keep the whole project moving, especially if we’re working on food boxes for seniors, which move at lightning speed. I consider it an honor to have been asked to be lead volunteer, as it shows that they can rely on me.” We are thankful for Pete and to all our volunteers who accounted for over 35,500 visits in 2024, whether they’re one-time packers, or seasoned vets!