Food insecurity is the silent struggle many families in Minnesota face. Friends, neighbors or colleagues could all fight hunger in invisible and unknown ways. COVID-19 has hit many communities hard and exacerbated an already difficult situation for many people. In response, Allianz, Keystone Community Services, and Minnesota United have teamed up to help Midway families file for food insecurity.
Every summer for the past three years, Minnesota United, in partnership with Keystone and Allianz, have hosted monthly food units at Allianz Field. In 2022, 14,240 pounds of food has been distributed so far. To put that into perspective, this is the weight of 8 entire football teams (using the average weight of a professional male footballer, with 11 players per team). 451 families and 1948 individuals were served: 745 children (40%), 900 adults (48%) and 304 elderly people (2%).
What is food insecurity? The United States Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as the lack of constant access to sufficient food for an active and healthy life. It is important to note that food insecurity does not necessarily just mean a lack of access to food in general. It could be a lack of resources for a nutritional diet. For this reason, families living in food deserts (communities with very limited access to healthy and affordable food options) could face food insecurity if they are able to obtain low-quality meals.
This is a problem that can affect people both above and below the poverty line. Due to the complexity of food insecurity, many people battling hunger also have coincidental problems such as low wages, health problems, and a lack of affordable housing options. When faced with overdue rent payments, the last thing anyone wants to worry about is where they’ll get their next meal.
In Minnesota, 432,170 people suffer from hunger and 147,340 of them are children. It’s 1 in 13 and 1 in 9 children. Minnesota United is committed to helping alleviate the fight against hunger in the Twin Cities community. If you or someone you know is struggling with food insecurity, some helpful resources for finding a food bank near you are linked below:
