Minneapolis Launches Citywide Initiative to Combat Food Waste and Expand Access

Neighbors in north Minneapolis can now pick up free food at any hour after Shiloh Cares Food Shelf installed a row of lockers that open with a code.

The setup helps families reach groceries long after regular distribution doors close for the day. Pastor Jalilia Abdul-Brown, executive director of Change Starts with Community at Shiloh Temple church, led the project and described it in an interview with MPR News host Emily Bright.

“People on the Northside want to cook, we want to eat, we want good recipes,” Tasha Powell, co-founder of Appetite for Change, told the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

Powell said that many Northside residents historically faced long transit times to reach fresh produce outside the neighborhood, spending much of their grocery budget at convenience stores or outside the community.

City Grant Expands Food Access

The new lockers arrive as the City of Minneapolis secured a $1.3 million grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency prevention of wasted food program.

The funding stems from the state’s $33 million Climate-Smart Food Systems initiative. It will finance the Minneapolis Food Waste Prevention and Recovery Initiative to cut wasted food and widen access to healthy meals.

Shiloh Cares, Community Emergency Services, and the University of Minnesota will place additional climate-controlled lockers across the city. Meanwhile, the Foundation for Essential Needs will provide technical support to local food shelves.

Twin Cities Food Justice and five Minneapolis farmers market organizations will gather surplus local produce to share with residents. The city also plans to expand its Food Forward program to help businesses prevent food waste.

Municipal Efforts Meet Rising Food Waste

The municipal efforts coincide with a new MPCA report showing residents continue throwing away large amounts of food despite a decade of composting investments. State officials set a goal to cut food waste to half its 2013 level by 2030, and the agency reports the recent increase is slowing.

Jenny Breen, a member of the Homegrown Minneapolis Food Council, views school food as a form of preventive health care. She encourages families to support universal school meals and vote for policies that build a sustainable food system.

Upcoming Community Schedule

Several food and agriculture events are scheduled across the region over the coming weeks:

Winter farmers markets: Four indoor markets open this month and run on various weekends through April.
Emerging Farmers Conference: Nov. 13-14 at the Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center, supporting immigrant farmers and farmers of color.
Local Foods Marketplace: Nov. 17 at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester with cooking demos and local treats.
Homegrown Minneapolis Food Council: Nov. 18 at Powderhorn Park to discuss zoning code updates for food access.
Robin Greenfield book reading: Nov. 18 at Inkwell Booksellers on East Hennepin Avenue.