MINNEAPOLIS— Summer is now in full swing. But when school is out, it can be a very hungry time for Minnesota families.
For anyone struggling with food insecurity, there are ways to find resources to keep your refrigerator stocked.
“Food insecurity exists in every county in Minnesota,” said Angelica Klebesch, Director of Community Partnerships and Investment for Second Harvest Heartland.
When there is no school, that struggle is intensified.
‘When children go to school, they have access to food at school universal school meals have had excellent access to that, but during the summer it can be very challenging for families to figure out where to go,” Klebesch said.
That’s why organizations like Second Harvest Heartland are stepping up their efforts during the summer months to meet that need.
There are hundreds of state and federally funded free food sites throughout the state.
“They will be in schools, parks and libraries, just very familiar places for families in their communities,” Klebesch said.
And they can all be found via an app. It’s called “Free Meals for Kids” and aims to connect families with resources across the state.
“Right now we have almost 900 locations, we’ll probably get as many as 1,100,” said Ellie Lucas, executive director of Hunger Impact Partners MN.
New this year is the ‘Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer’ programme. According to Gov. Tim Walz’s administration, eligible families will receive $120 per child to purchase groceries during the summer months.
“If you’re looking for a food shelf, or you know how to sign up for EBT, summer EBT or SNAP, you can do that here too. So everything is right at your fingertips,” Lucas said.
It is expected to feed up to 400,000 children.
“It’s great because being able to increase family income by taking advantage of an EBT summer food redemption program for kids is a big deal,” Lucas said.
Beret Leone
