by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
Catholic Charities’ recently announced its seventh annual Food Shelf Challenge Grant during which, through July, donations will be matched by up to $5,000.
The St. Cloud-based Catholic Charities provides food for the hungry and homeless throughout the greater St. Cloud area.
A donation of $10 usually can purchase $40-worth of groceries, thanks to Catholic Charities’ volume-buying power. But, during July, because of the match, $10 “becomes” $20, and that means $80 worth of food can be purchased because of the $10 donation and the $10 match.
The matching grant is made possible by an organization named “Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless” with help from “Hunger Solutions Minnesota.”
Donations can be made at www.ccstcloud.org/donate. Click on “Open Your Heart.”
In a press release, Catholic Charities stated the following:
“Minnesota summers were made for trips to the cabin, boat rides on the lake and farmers’-market outings, not food-shelf visits, but that is the reality for thousands of Minnesotans. Children are home from school and the family budget is tight. Catholic Charities Emergency Services helps provide nutritious fruits and vegetables to these families and needs your help this summer.
“Food shelves in Minnesota help individuals, families and seniors get the nutritious food they need but cannot afford to purchase on their own. Summer is especially stressful for both families with children and the food shelves that serve them. When kids are home for the summer, they are missing out on school meals and food shelves help fill that gap.”
Catholic Charities is a nonprofit organization that advances the charitable and social mission of the Diocese of St. Cloud. It builds communities, promotes family life and enhances human dignity by providing quality services to meet the physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs of individuals and families of all faiths and beliefs.
Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless has 30 years of experience as the only grant provider in Minnesota focused solely on alleviating hunger and homelessness. Open Your Heart helps food and shelter providers of all sizes get the resources they need to serve more people with items and services which include mattresses, freezers, fresh produce and roof repairs. They also support homeless students by providing school supplies, activity fees, gym shoes, tutoring materials and other essentials that help them engage fully in school. For more information, visit http://www.oyh.org.
Hunger Solutions Minnesota works to end hunger in our state. It takes action to assure food security for all Minnesotans by supporting programs and agencies that provide food to those in need, advancing sound public policy and guiding grassroots advocacy. Hunger Solutions connects food shelves with funding and technical assistance to support the 9,000 daily food-shelf visits. For more information, visit hungersolutions.org or follow @hungersolutions on Twitter.
