In August, Second Harvest Heartland hosted a panel of its community partners to kick off a conversation on hunger relief and to begin the transformation of volunteerism to community engagement. Community involvement is needed now more than ever. Minnesota saw nearly 2 million more food shelf visits in 2022 than the year before. Many COVID-era assistance programs are being phased out while inflation remains the highest it's been in a decade.
What does it look like to live a life of community engagement? "Everyone getting involved in a way that works for them," says Bri Johnson, Volunteer Engagement Specialist.
Community Engagement includes volunteerism, donations and/or advocating for hunger relief. Volunteering continues to be crucial, and all panelists expressed the need for more volunteers. "Seventy percent of my volunteers are over 70 years old," says Colette Illarde, PRISM Food Shelf Volunteer Manager. "My volunteers are awesome, but I would like to see diverse volunteers who represent the community we serve." All donations are always welcome, and Second Harvest Heartland can use their buying power to purchase more food with cash donations than an individual can buy on their own. Advocating can include everything from talking to your neighbors to contacting your elected officials to show support for hunger relief programs. "It's bringing the discussion about food insecurity to your dinner table and making the conversation a community norm," says Bri.
The panel included representatives from PRISM Food Shelf of Golden Valley, Pillsbury United Communities of Minneapolis, SACA Food Shelf of Southern Anoka County, CAPI Food Shelf helping refugees and immigrants, and FreedomWorks guiding formerly incarcerated individuals. "The best thing about participating in the panel was connecting with others who share the same mission," says Colette.
Kelly Mortvedt, Volunteer Resource Manager, sums it up by saying, "To become engaged, you can volunteer, donate, or advocate for hunger relief. We encourage you to get involved with us, with any of our partners, or with your local food bank."
Visit the Second Harvest Heartland website to donate at 2harvest.org/donate to volunteer at volunteer.2harvest.org, or to learn more about how you can help create change at 2harvest.org/advocacy.
