WedgeShare Grant Supports Local Farms and Foodshelves

By Ted Evans, Communications Coordinator, Emergency Foodshelf Network

The Emergency Foodshelf Network (EFN) is a local grassroots foodbank that provides high-quality food and support services to area hunger relief agencies while building local partnerships to address hunger. Their range of services include a bulk-purchasing program for foodshelves and on-site meal programs and other hunger relief programs.

EFN's Harvest for the Hungry program is an example of a partnership that benefits many local communities. In October 2008, Wedge members voted to give EFN a major WedgeShare grant to support this program. An estimated 200,000 individuals face hunger in the Twin Cities area, many of them children with working parents. Produce is often eliminated from family grocery budgets when money gets tight. To make matters worse, fruits and vegetables are too expensive for many foodshelves to stock.

Harvest for the Hungry purchases shares in local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms and donates the fruits and vegetables to area foodshelves. Six CSA farms provided this program with 30,000 lbs. of local produce in 2008. The generous $10,000 WedgeShare grant will enable the EFN to nearly double that amount in 2009.

Those interested in contributing to Harvest for the Hungry can designate their donation to specific farms or to the general program. Visit www.emergencyfoodshelf.org to donate, volunteer, or learn more. Or call them at (763) 450-3860.