Creating healthy, thriving communities starts with meeting people where they are. Whether on the field, in the classroom, or at our food distributions, ensuring local families have access to the resources they need is at the core of our work. That is why we are thrilled to partner with Minnesota United FC and Allina Health on a new meal kit initiative to improve our food distribution efforts.

More than 200 Minnesota State Fair food vendors are donating leftover food to Minnesota’s hunger relief network through Second Harvest Heartland and its partner food shelves.

Tuesday’s donations exceeded 10,000 pounds of food, according to Second Harvest CEO Sarah Moberg, who said the food could benefit more than 1,000 families. Second Harvest distributes food through a statewide network of food shelves and meal programs.