[Update: Pillsbury United Communities has scheduled a community meeting for March 23 to gather more feedback about its plans for the North Market grocery and health project. The meeting is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. at Webber Community Center, 4400 Dupont Av. N.]

The Cargill Foundation has committed $500,000 to the North Market project in north Minneapolis, giving the food and wellness proposal its biggest boost to date.

Pillsbury United Communities announced the grant this week for the project for which it is trying to raise $6.3 million.

It's planning to reopen a former grocery building at 4414 Humboldt Av.N. It plans to sell food there while dispensing while dispensing health services. It's betting that can prove a profitable combination at a site where Super Valu and Kowalski's groceries closed. The target for opening is fall 2017, shortly after the planned completion of a new county library next door.

Pillsbury hasn't disclosed its fundraising total to date. It has a $487,500 purchase agreement to buy the building from Hennepin County, and is scheduled to close on it in September. The county bought the site as part of its land assembly for the library.

Cargill Foundation has targeted early childhood nutrition as one of its key giving areas. The only full-service grocery on the North Side is the Cub on Broadway Avenue W., after the closing of a Rainbow store in Robbinsdale.

Pillsbury is working with North Memorial Medical Center to develop a health clinic in a new mezzanine level to be built overlooking the 15,000-square-foot grocery store. The working plan is for a walk-in clinic with family health services, but to also offer health counseling that's based on making good food choices.

The project is getting grocery development expertise from Super Valu and marketing help through General Mills. Oppidan Investment Co. is handling real estate and construction management for the project.

Pillsbury recently retained the LSE Architects for the project, which also designed the library, on which the county is scheduled to break ground this spring.