As demand rises, halal food options shrink at Minnesota food shelves

On a chilly morning at the Brian Coyle Center in Minneapolis, Muna Mustafa waited in line long before the center’s food shelf opened its doors. Muna, a mother of four children between the ages of 8 months and 8 years, quietly stood behind her cart in line, hoping to get enough food for her family.

Over the past two years, this food shelf has been a lifeline for this stay-at-home mother, whose family of six lives on a single income. Food stamps and her husband’s paycheck barely cover food, rent, utilities and other household expenses, she said.

“I don’t know what we would have done without this extra help,” she said as she wheeled her cart away from the distribution site after she received her food. In it was milk, macaroni and some fresh produce.

Food shelves across the state are facing a spike in demand, even as rising prices and on-again, off-again federal funding for food stamps affect Minnesotans. For those serving immigrants, the challenges can be even greater.

At a gathering at Karmel Mall last month, Khalid Omar, an organizer with Isaiah Minnesota, said President Donald Trump’s attacks on Somali Minnesotans are a distraction from rising costs that are hitting immigrant communities hard.

“We’re dealing with people not able to pay their rent. We’re dealing with people not able to afford groceries,” he said. “We see our food shelves running out.

“The reality is that people are struggling, our communities are struggling,” he said.

Fartun Weli, the founder and CEO of Isuroon, said her organization started food support to the community in 2016. She said the Hubbs Center location closed due to a funding shortfall.

“Though I’m hoping to reopen the location as soon as we secure enough funds, shutting down the place is the best course of action right now,” she said.

Weli said that one of the most challenging aspects of running the food shelf is sourcing culturally specific foods, such as halal meat. She said she buys food from a specific supplier who gives them a discounted price in bulk.

Like other nonprofits, Isuroon is facing funding challenges this year at a time when demand for services, including the food shelf, is growing. Isuroon also offers refugee assistance, a domestic abuse hotline and other services.

Weli said she aims to raise $270,000 to support the Isuroon’s food program for a year. Isuroon has an active fundraising page through GiveMN that has raised $31,474 toward a $70,000 goal by mid-December.

Close to 600,000 Minnesotans experience food insecurity, according to Feeding America, a national network of food banks. More than 185,000 of those are children. Their data also showed that the number of people relying on food shelves reached a record high in 2024, with an estimated 9 million people visiting food shelf locations statewide.

A study from the University of Minnesota also reveals a significant change in food insecurity since the pandemic. The study suggests that food insecurity has increased by 40% in Minnesota and continues to rise, making it harder to predict and plan for the future.

Rising costs are also making it hard for families to maintain stable housing, Weli said.

“Besides the food shortage in the community, we are also seeing an increase in evictions because many families are forced to choose between paying rent and buying food,” she said.

She said, with many grants reduced or discontinued, her organization is at risk of laying off its employees.

He said beginning in January, the organization experienced an increase in all its locations. That demand spiked during the government shutdown this fall, when federal food aid was at risk.

In November, Pillsbury United’s Oak Park Cafe in north Minneapolis set a record, serving 400 people in just 1½ hours, with a weekly total of more than 1,200 meals. They saw a similar pattern at Waite House Cafe in the Phillips neighborhood, which serves 600 free meals weekly.

At the Brian Coyle Center, over 600 free meals are served five days a week through the Kitchen Coalition of Second Harvest Heartland, in partnership with Oasis Mediterranean Grill.

Pillsbury United Communities offers halal food and faces similar challenges in restocking it.

“It’s very challenging to see when a hungry person comes to get food, and all we can say is ‘I’m sorry our food pantries are empty and we have nothing to give you,’” Dube said.