Predictable, healthy food and welcoming experiences for all food shelf shoppers
A strength-based approach to efficient and effective hunger relief operations. Helping food shelves do better so that food insecure Minnesotans can do better.
With more than 375 food shelves serving over 3 million Minnesotans, our state’s hunger relief system is vast, complex and ever-changing. FFEN understands the complexities and challenges faced by food shelves and other hunger relief organizations. Reshaping the hunger relief sector is at the core of FFEN’s work. And while there is no one-size-fits-all approach, we have invested in developing tailored services and solutions to meet the unique needs of food shelves and the communities they serve. Learn more about how FFEN is supporting food shelves across Minnesota.
Food Shelf Services
Managing a food shelf is an art and science. We support food shelves to implement the most current best practices, through no-cost consultation and professional development opportunities.
Volunteer
FFEN engages skilled volunteers who share their expertise with the hunger relief sector, leveraging new solutions, skills, and additional capacity to improve local food access.
Donate
When you support FFEN, the impact you provide is exponentially greater than the dollar amount you give. Your gift is an investment in local communities and improved food access into the future.
FFEN’s impact
Our Reach
200+
Food shelf connections (since 2013)
787,792
Food shelf shoppers reached (estimated annually)
61
Counties supported across Minnesota
$0.91
Amount of each dollar going to programs
Read the Latest News From FFEN
From Guesswork to Guidance: How Warrior Cupboard Built a Pantry Around Student Voice
As Aurea Osgood stocked the shelves of the campus food pantry at Winona State University, she chatted with an international student who bypassed the tuna because she didn’t know how to prepare it. “I grew up with it so I didn’t think twice,” Osgood said. She explained...
Listening to Shoppers, One Gallon of Milk at a Time
Shopper input guides dozens of decisions at the White Bear Area Food Shelf — from whether shoppers can take one gallon of milk or two, to larger moves like opening a Community Market for in-person shopping. "We're a conduit to serve and support our neighbors," said...
“If You Don’t Have Data, You Don’t Have Anything”
Jennifer Aakre has spent a lifetime managing and providing food to those around her. Growing up, her parents ran a grocery store, where she started working at age 10 — through college and into her adult life. Later, as a science teacher, she kept a bowl of snacks in...