Photo by Minnesota FoodShare
I know this is hard to believe, but a lot of our friends and neighbors don’t know where their next meal is coming from. One out of every 10 people in the state is on federal food assistance—that’s more than 500,000 Minnesotans! Every day in 2014, about 9,000 people visited one of our state’s 300 food shelves.
We need to help.
Minnesota FoodShare is in the middle of its March Campaign, and I’m honored to be the honorary chair of the effort. I think of myself as the chief cheerleader. They’re organizing food drives, chili cook-offs, and happy hours—all trying to raise money and collect food. One hundred percent of the money raised gets passed onto food shelves. One hundred percent! That’s awesome.
Finnegans is an amazing company, and for the second year, all of their profits will go to support the March Campaign. So go buy one of their beers (the new Hoppy Shepherd is delightful this time of year).
They’re also running a contest with chefs: dozens were invited to create a dish that integrates Finnegans beer, and people have been voting for their favorite dishes.
We’ve got Chef Vincent Francoual’s Finnegans Trinity at The Local, Chef Danielle Puhle at Green Mill Eagan created a Dead Irish Poet cupcake, Ozzy Amelotti from Le Town Talk created an Irish Amber Battered Shrimp, and Chef Jim Kyndberg at FireLake has steamed Mussels with Irish Amber beer and bruschetta. There are so many more you should check out. If you go to the restaurants, order these dishes and the restaurants will generously donate a dollar to the campaign.
One other thing you can do in advance of St. Patrick’s Day: bring food donations to the Finnegans Reverse Food Truck at St. Paul’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. A lot of local liquor stores have reusable tote bags for the campaign and you can fill them up with food. Or fill your own bag up and bring it to the truck at the parade.
Next week there’s an awesome happy hour at Red Stag Supperclub on March 14 from 4-7 p.m.; Nonna Rosa’s is hosting a wine dinner on March 15 at 6 p.m.; and keep your eyes out for more events in our local restaurants.
So many great groups are working on making our community better including Meals on Wheels, Second Harvest Heartland, and this month the real intense effort of Minnesota FoodShare. Thank you for your help!
