Cargill Foundation supports MN Central Kitchen, Minnesota nonprofit and restaurant community tackles hunger

16-Apr-2020 - USA

As COVID-19 continues to spread, there is a growing need to feed those who are food insecure in the Twin Cities community. To help meet the growing demand, Cargill Foundation supports the MN Central Kitchen in its mission to tackle hunger and layoffs brought on by COVID-19.

Today, Cargill’s headquarters cafeteria opens its door to the MN Central Kitchen. This additional kitchen space will provide employment opportunities and 4,000 meals each week for Minnesotans. The Cargill Foundation is also contributing $1 million to add a distribution site in North Minneapolis with Appetite for Change and to support the production of 120,000 meals across all of MN Central Kitchen’s sites.

“At Cargill, we believe our state’s nonprofits and hospitality professionals can continue to respond to the growing need for food assistance in our community and are proud to join them in this relief for food insecure children and families in Minnesota,” said Katie Clark Sieben, Cargill Foundation Director. “It is humbling to see our NGO, restaurant and business communities rally together and mobilize quickly to provide nutritious food and employment opportunities.”

The restaurants provide the kitchen space, staff, supplies and food; Second Harvest Heartland coordinates logistics; Loaves & Fishes and Appetite for Change distribute the to-go meals to Minnesotans free of charge at its more than 30 locations across the state; and companies like Cargill fund the operation and provide additional kitchen space.

“We can’t fight this virus hungry and yet hunger is growing in our community every day. Effectively battling COVID-19 is going to take all of us coming together, putting our best innovations forward, to make sure everyone is safe and fed,” said Allison O’Toole, CEO of Second Harvest Heartland. “The Cargill Foundation’s support of Minnesota Central Kitchen is a perfect example of the kind of powerful partnerships we need right now. We’re grateful for Cargill’s long-standing backing and we’re not surprised that they’ve stepped forward, once again, when we need the community to come together like never before.”

“For those of us who choose to cook for and serve people as a profession, the thought of not being able to do so is heartbreaking,” said Jonathan Gans, The Bachelor Farmer’s executive chef. “We hope that, through the MN Central Kitchen, even though many of our businesses will be affected by this pandemic, we will still be able to feed and take care of those who need it most during these difficult times. A cook needs to cook, and that’s what I intend to do.”

This is just one example of how Cargill is working with nonprofit and NGO partners around the globe to help address food security, health and safety needs and agriculture and food industry challenges due to the spread of COVID-19. In addition to monetary donation, we are collaborating with nonprofits around the globe to donate food, ingredients and other high-need products for those who are vulnerable during this pandemic. For example, Cargill has donated nearly 1 million pounds of food to food shelves and hunger relief efforts in local communities where our employees live and work. Cargill’s global and regional COVID-19 response is guided by our purpose to nourish the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way.

https://www.yumda.com/en/news/1165840/cargill-foundation-supports-mn-central-kitchen-minnesota-nonprofit-and-restaurant-community-tackles-hunger.html