The number of Brainerd lakes area residents seeking help from food shelves across the state ballooned in 2022 to a record high, with new data from Hunger Solutions showing that the need for food assistance exceeded their preliminary projections.
As a volunteer with the Lakes Area Food Shelf and a member of the Crow Wing County Food Shelf Coalition, I can attest that the number of our friends and neighbors served is rising dramatically.
The fact is, the higher cost of living, the end of pandemic aid from stimulus checks to eviction moratoriums and now the reduction in SNAP benefits have forced more people to turn to food shelves in ever increasing numbers.
We can help though, and March is an excellent month to do so. Across the state, over 300 food shelves are fundraising and collecting food during the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches' (GMCC) Minnesota FoodShare campaign, held each March to combat the lull in generosity that typically follows the holidays.
Donations of cash and food are welcome to help support the vital work our food shelves do to keep so many in our community from having to make a decision between medicine or food. Should I pay the rent or buy food for the kids?
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None of us should be put in that position.
To find a food shelf to donate to, go to Minnesota FoodShare or call 218-568-8474.
Timothy Moore,
Board chair
Lakes Area Food Shelf , Pequot Lakes
The Trust Project
