North Minneapolis nonprofit increases commitment to free delivered meal boxes

A north Minneapolis nonprofit trying to fill a gap in the area’s food desert knows its job may grow as SNAP benefits are cut.

Appetite for Change (AFC) runs several programs, including an urban farm and youth education classes. Target-owned Shipt is funding the group’s Community Cooks Meal Box Program, which provides free meal kits with fresh ingredients and recipe cards. Some Shipt drivers are also helping deliver the boxes to recipients.

The nonprofit is exploring additional funding resources to increase meal-box options as more than 440,000 Minnesotans wonder if they’ll have SNAP benefits in November as the government shutdown looms.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he may defy a court order and withhold Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits during the shutdown.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday people would receive half their November benefits through a contingency fund, though payments may be delayed.

SNAP benefits are also being reduced long term under the federal budget passed by Congress this summer.

Many nonprofits serving food deserts are bracing for cuts to government grants.

State and county grants made up less than 13% of its funding last year, according to its impact report.

The organization has raised more than $10 million in grants over the past five years, including $2 million in 2024 from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, who has given about $200 million to organizations across Minnesota.

Other major contributions include $2 million from Minnetonka-based Cargill, $700,000 from General Mills and $350,000 from Target, separate from the current funding provided by Shipt.

In recent years, Shipt has been the key funder of the Community Cooks Meal Box Program. It previously awarded the nonprofit grants but is directly funding the program this year.

“Shipt has definitely plugged a funding hole for AFC,” said Sandy Peacock, director of advancement at Appetite for Change. “[It] has been the key funder to cover the costs, and now the logistics of delivery.”

During the shutdown, Appetite for Change delivered an average of 400 boxes each week across the Twin Cities.

“Meal boxes came out of the community,” said Princess Titus, senior engagement officer at Appetite for Change. “We knew that those people who would come out to Community Cooks with us probably weren’t eating.”

The program, now in its third year since returning after a post-pandemic hiatus, delivers boxes with enough ingredients for 12 meals to households in north Minneapolis.

Appetite for Change revived the program in April 2023, shortly after the closure of north Minneapolis’ Aldi left many families with fewer grocery options.

“When everyone was able to come back, we were still getting feedback that these boxes were needed,” said Nicole Powell, Community Cooks program manager at Appetite for Change. “We thought we were just sending out food, but we didn’t know it was helping people who were going through mental health [challenges]; it was helping people get over personal things.”

More than 2,300 boxes have gone out since the latest deal with Shipt started in June, almost two-thirds of the goal to provide 42,000 meals, or 3,640 boxes, by December. Appetite for Change typically spends about $65 per box, including delivery.

“Our main goal is to have people rethink food,” Powell said. “We found that a lot of people looking to change their eating habits don’t know where to start.”

Shipt first awarded the program a grant in 2023, which was renewed the following year, as part of its investment in organizations expanding food access.

The planned number of boxes delivered and average cost per box puts the total funding at more than $235,000. But Shipt declined to say how much money it has contributed toward the meal-box program.

“We believe that access to healthy food plays a critical role in strengthening communities at large, whether that’s improving student outcomes [or] promoting wellness,” said Khadijah Abdullah, vice president of culture and community at Shipt.

In May, state lawmakers approved a new program to help offset the loss. Federal cuts to the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) also eliminated more than a million pounds of food headed to Minnesota shelves this summer. The funding was first created to support food networks during the pandemic.