Food shelf use in Minnesota has increased 45 percent in the last five years with the fastest increases happening in the suburbs. Half of all food shelf users are children and needs are at all-time highs during the winter months, especially around the holidays.

Most Needed Foods

All food shelves are always in need of the following:

• Baby supplies: diapers, formula
• Cleaning supplies: laundry detergent, paper towels, kitchen and bathroom cleaners
• Complete meals: pasta and sauce, boxed meals, hearty soups
• Fruits, vegetables: canned fruits and vegetables, 100 percent fruit juice, instant potatoes, fruit preserves
• Grains: cereal, rice
• Hygiene products: shampoo, deodorant, soap, toilet paper, feminine hygiene, toothpaste
• Meats, fish, protein: canned tuna, ham or chicken, beef stew, chili, peanut butter, canned / dried beans

Most food shelves do not take donations of perishable items, home-canned goods or glass containers.  Please contact the specific food shelf you wish to donate to if you have questions.

Ethnic Food Shelf Items

Here are some suggestions for foods most desired by food shelves serving ethnic households.  Thank you for providing foods that are an important part of these cultures. Food items and ethnic groups are listed alphabetically.

Asian Food Shelf Items

• Asian chili sauce
• Asian noodles (rice stick, instant noodles, etc.)
• Bamboo shoots
• Canned straw mushrooms
• Fish sauce
• Rice, jasmine, yellow Kokuho
• Sardines
• Vegetable oil

Latino Food Shelf Items

• Black beans
• Corn tortillas
• Crackers
• Flour
• Maseca (corn flour)
• Pinto beans
• Sugar
• Vegetable oil
• White rice

Native American Food Shelf Items

• Canned berries
• Dried corn
• Maple syrup
• Vegetable oil
• Wild rice

Russian Food Shelf Items

• Black tea
• Canned fish
• Cereal, grains
• Flour
• Jams and jellies
• Pickled and marinated vegetables
• Rice
• Sugar
• Vegetable oil

Somali Food Shelf Items

• Dried beans (all kinds)
• Flour
• Pasta, especially spaghetti
• Sugar
• Tomato sauce
• Tuna
• Vegetable oil
• White or basmati rice

Resources

• United Way Caring Connection matches people to hunger relief projects and other volunteer projects with United Way community partners across the nine-county metro area. Through their Web-based system, Caring Connection has hundreds of opportunities to choose from so you can volunteer where you live or work. They can also customize projects to match your group's interest, size and availability.