Hunger Bash
Photo by Chris Shaffner
On September 9, The Food Group held its annual fundraising event, Hunger Bash, at the Depot Minneapolis. Proceeds from the event go toward the purchase of healthy foods to be distributed to the organization’s network of food shelf and program partners.
Dan Johnson: I’m the volunteer activities coordinator for The Food Group. It’s estimated that one in 10 people in Minnesota is food insecure, which means they have a hard time knowing whether they can afford food, or pay for their rent, or their electric bill, or their medication. People have to make difficult decisions, and sadly, food often comes up short.
Lisa Jensen: I’ve been a volunteer at The Food Group for the past 16 years. We deliver the food to people who need it. You don’t need to qualify to get help. It could be a mid-month crisis where you don’t have any food or something happens on the spur of the moment.
Richie Lange: I’ve been volunteering with The Food Group basically for my entire life. Growing up, I knew that I was making a difference and that I was there for someone who needed help.
Patrick Wilson: I’ve liked what The Food Group has stood for since the beginning. It’s about fresh food. It’s about being creative with the food. It’s about healthy food. There are two major food banks in the Twin Cities, and The Food Group is the smaller one—I think of it as The Little Engine That Could. I used to work in promotions for a radio station and today I see people who are more appreciative to get 20 pounds of food than who were appreciative to win World Series tickets.
Lisa Sabourin: I work at The Food Group. This is my give-back career. I worked in financial services for many years and wanted to do something different once I was given the choice and had different freedoms. To me, basic needs like food are everyone’s right.
Interviews have been condensed and edited.
