This summer, Maggie*, 37, had a fire in her home. Though the damage from the fire itself was limited to part of one room, smoke and water damage permeated Maggie’s entire apartment, making her home unlivable and destroying many of her furnishings and belongings.

For many years, ICA has talked about our work in terms of the number of people

we’ve helped and the pounds of food we’ve distributed. We are so proud that we

have the capacity and the community support to help 800 families each month –

providing food to those who are hungry is such an amazing way to help people.

ICA Case Managers work one-on-one with the individuals and families who come to us for help. When neighbors visit the food shelf for the first time, they meet with our case managers to talk through how the food shelf works and what to expect when they visit.

We help our neighbors in need by providing services to stop immediate crisis, working with them to build stability in their lives, with the ultimate goal to promote long-term well-being. Our food services can mean the difference between rationing food or skipping meals and eating healthy, well-rounded food that nourishes the body and soul.

Accept the 2019 Food Shelf Challenge from Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless and ICA Food Shelf this July. Minnesota summers were made for trips to the cabin, boat rides on the lake, and farmers market outings, not food shelf visits. But that’s the reality for thousands of Minnesotans. Children are home from school and the family budget is tight. ICA Food Shelf helps provide nutritious fruits and vegetables to these families and needs your help this summer.

We are excited to announce that we became SuperShelf certified in January! SuperShelf is a program initiated by HealthPartners, University of Minnesota Extension, the Food Group, and Valley Outreach. The program helps Minnesota food shelves provide clients with better access to healthy food in a welcoming environment.

When Chris and Heidi* first started using ICA after Chris lost his job, they weren’t thinking about their health or healthy food – they were simply trying to get enough food to feed their family.

Over time, they realized that they were starting to make different choices: trying new fruits and vegetables, switching out whole milk for almond milk, and experimenting with new-to-them premium products (donated by ICA’s food rescue partners) that had never been in their budget.

In 2017, ICA created a five-year Adaptive Strategy Plan to help us make a strategic impact on our community through 2021. Similar to a Strategic Plan, this document guides our decision-making and focus as we take a big-picture view the needs of our community.

Each March, we see a flurry of activity in the food shelf, as dozens of businesses, schools, community organizations, and neighborhoods host their annual food drives — helping to stock ICA’s shelves for the months to come.

The Minnesota FoodShare March Campaign began over 25 years ago, to help restock food shelves as they see donations drop after the holidays. Since then, the March Campaign has grown to become the largest grassroots food and fundraiser in the state.

Together, We Provided Healthy Food for Anna

Anna has a fixed income due to a disability. She recently found out that her rent was increasing by over $100 per month, though her income level is staying the same.