2021 Year in Review
Dear Friends and Supporters,
As we approach the two year mark of the start of the pandemic in Minnesota, we feel it is useful to reflect on everything that has changed since then, and how we can transition into a more just post-pandemic society, rather than simply returning to “things as usual.” The persistence of the pandemic, as well as the effects of the uprising following the murder of George Floyd, has resulted in increased disparities among marginalized communities, as well as an increased awareness of those disparities. Here at NCFA, we have taken concrete action to better meet the needs of our neighbors and help build community care and resilience in an increasingly uncertain world. In 2021, NCFA provided more food support than in any prior year, and we devoted more resources toward building food sovereignty than ever before. Please read below for more details, and know that you are an integral part of keeping this vital work going! Thank you for your ongoing support.
In Solidarity for a Better World,
Andy, Mae, Will, Sasha, Alison, May, Mark, Celeste, Maria, Noah, Fatuma, Abby
(The Workers of NCFA)
Program Updates - Year in Review
Foodshare
NCFA workers and volunteers gleaning from Dream of Wild Health Farm.
NCFA took great strides to expand and improve our foodshare program in 2021! We focused more of our foodshare efforts on gleaning, which is the act of harvesting fresh produce that would otherwise go to waste at orchards, gardens, and farms. Last year, we held 11 gleaning days total, primarily at Philadelphia Community Farm in Osceola, Wisconsin; and the native-run farm Dream of Wild Health in Cambridge, Minnesota. These workdays are run by NCFA workers together with volunteers, and the harvest is distributed to food shelves and community kitchens across the metro area. We’re planning on continuing to expand our gleaning program in 2022! If you’d like to join us in making these events successful, please sign up to volunteer using the button below.
Our commercial food recovery also continues to grow. In 2021, we donated nearly $482,000 worth of recovered and purchased food to 40 different groups in the Twin Cities Metro. This is $86,000 more than we’ve ever moved in past years, and is equivalent to about 6,900 meals per week! Recently, Trader Joe’s invited us to pick up weekly donations from a second location in Saint Louis Park, which is allowing us to serve even more groups in the Twin Cities, such as the Hamline University food shelf in Saint Paul.
Foodshare coordinator Celeste with a haul of food from our new pick up location at the Saint Louis Park Trader Joe's.
At NCFA, our orientation to food sovereignty means we believe everyone has the right to determine where their food comes from and know how it is produced. We are not only focused on the quantity of food we share, but the quality of the relationships around the production of food. In 2021, NCFA purchased and distributed over $34,000 of food from local farms, mostly BIPOC-owned. Our food shelf and kitchen partners know that these donations financially support emerging BIPOC farmers, and participating in a more relational food production system brings a quality of dignity and deep interconnectedness to the work of hunger relief.
Garden
Veggies growing at the Charles Horn Towers garden site.
Our garden program saw great successes in 2021 as well! NCFA established a new garden at Charles Horn Towers in 2020, a public housing site in South Minneapolis. Last year, we worked with the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority to transfer management of this community garden to the Somali American Farmers Association (SAFA). Horn Towers is home to many Somali elders, and SAFA grows East African greens and crops like millet and okra in traditional ways that include regenerative practices.
Garden coordinator May picking veggies with neighbors at the North Minneapolis community garden.
Meanwhile, we hired a new garden coordinator, May, to manage our North Minneapolis garden site. With the help of other NCFA workers and volunteers from the neighborhood, she expanded the site to house sixteen rectangular raised beds and twenty four circular ones. She also facilitated a connection with Shiloh Temple, a nearby church that holds a weekly food distribution. Surplus vegetables produced at the North garden are donated to Shiloh Temple, a decision made in collaboration with neighbors at the garden.
We’re looking forward to further expanding programming at the garden next season, including the possibility of managing a garden site at our new location at Walker Church. If you’d like to get involved, please email garden coordinator May at garden@ncfa-mn.org.
Other Updates
Grants & Fundraisers
We’d first like to send a big thank you to everyone who participated in our end-of-year fundraising! On Give to the Max Day, you helped us raise $8,685, which is over $3,000 more than our previous record from last year. Our SeedMoney garden fundraiser collected $720, plus we received an additional $200 bonus grant from SeedMoney. We’re so thankful for all your amazing support!
NCFA was also selected for two upcoming round ups: Lakewinds Food Co-op in October and Eastside Food Co-op in July. We’re very grateful to both co-ops for supporting NCFA once again! If you shop at either of these stores, please remember to round up in support of food sovereignty during our designated months!
We’re also very excited about a few additional grants we received recently: about $3,000 from the STAY America Foundation; $2,500 from the Hoyer Charitable Fund; and $2,000 from the Spicola Family Foundation. Big thanks to these funders for joining us in strengthening food sovereignty in the Twin Cities Metro!
Meet Our New Workers!
Abby - Canvasser
Abby has worked in organizing around housing, participatory action research, and pie-making, and is fascinated by weaving together practices of transformative justice, land stewardship, and art. Abby enjoys writing and thinking about place in a more-than-human world, handcrafts, making friends with trees, and laughing.
Andy - Admin Coordinator
Andy has worked at a variety of nonprofits and startups and is excited about the work NCFA does to support small organizations in caring for their communities. When not bookkeeping, he also enjoys book reading, as well as making music and taking long walks with good company.
Take Part in Strengthening Food Sovereignty
Join North Country Food Alliance in strengthening food sovereignty in the Twin Cities Metro Area!
As a community-funded non-profit, we rely on your generous contributions to distribute food completely free-of-charge. With your help, we share healthy, culturally-appropriate food with thousands of our neighbors every week.
Thank you for your ongoing support!