Fall News for NCFA
Dear Friends and Supporters,
Fall is upon us! As the weather gets chillier, the workers at NCFA are transitioning into the new season: some projects—like the garden—are being put to bed until spring, while others—like foodshare—are getting ready to shift into high gear with the holiday season. And with the “season of giving” approaching, NCFA will have additional fundraisers to keep an eye out for. Please read to the end to find out what we have in store!
In Solidarity for a Better World,
The Workers of NCFA
Program Updates
Foodshare
Jaime from Wedge Co-op assisting with foodshare.
Our foodshare program is still going strong! Wedge/Linden Hills Co-op is now donating their overstock produce to us, allowing us to serve even more people in need. We recently started working with a small neighborhood group simply called “Foodshare” that is associated with Southside Harm Reduction and Natives Against Heroin. While the Franklin-Hiawatha Encampment was in full swing, Foodshare cooked free weekly meals for the camp. They later served food to folks from the navigation center (the government-sponsored shelter which former residents of the camp were forced to move to). Even though the navigation center is now closed, Foodshare is still providing free meals to former residents. We’re happy to help by donating fresh food to this program.
Watermelons donated by the Seward Co-op Friendship Store. They went directly to clients at the Center for Victims of Torture in Saint Paul.
Partner Spotlight: Center for Victims of Torture (CVT)
This Saint Paul nonprofit works directly with survivors of torture, providing professional services to restore hope and help them lead peaceful lives. Furthermore, CVT supports partners who work with torture survivors and advocates to end torture worldwide.
We are proud to supply CVT with weekly deliveries of fresh produce, which they give away to clients to help them live healthy lives. CVT is one of NCFA’s oldest partners, and they honored us with the Healing Connections Award in 2017.
Garden
With freezing temperatures becoming more common, the garden is slowly coming to a close. We recently harvested several beds of salad greens including lettuce, arugula, and spinach, and delivered them to the Aliveness Project Food Shelf. A great example of things lining up in the universe, they said that they were just about to spend a bunch of money on arugula and were very excited to receive the donation!
Cold-hardy kale and collards are still growing in the garden, and depending on the weather will last until November. Then the growing of food comes to an end for the year, and the work of the garden becomes shoveling snow and removing ice.
Eight new raised beds filled with fresh dirt.
But we’re very excited for next year, since we basically just doubled the size of the garden! As mentioned in the last update, our board member Emmett graciously volunteered his time to build us eight raised beds. With the help of some grant money (see below) we were able to purchase soil to fill the beds, which will be planted in the spring.
We’ve got other exciting developments up our sleeves for the garden and big plans for next year, including increased community engagement, volunteer workdays, and public events. To help us fund these initiatives, please consider donating to our SeedMoney campaign starting November 15th! (See below for more details.)
Community Meals
As mentioned in the last update, our food truck has proven to be a costly and time-consuming measure. After giving it much thought, we have decided to sell our food truck and reinvest the profits in a scaled-down community meals program. While running a food truck that provides free meals is a great idea, in reality it is a difficult project for a small nonprofit to manage. We think it makes more sense to coordinate a version of the program that’s as efficient as possible.
Our current plan is to collaborate with community kitchens already in existence to cook and serve free food on a regular basis. We already have connections with many community centers and nonprofit organizations through our foodshare work, so a meals program could fit right in. We’re excited by the prospect of offering new volunteer opportunities in community kitchens as a way for supporters to get engaged with NCFA’s mission. To stay updated on volunteer opportunities with NCFA, sign up below!
NCFA worker Mae cleaning the food truck.
In light of this development, we have been cleaning the food truck and making a few minor repairs to make it more appealing to potential buyers. The inside is looking pretty spic and span, as can be seen by this picture! We hope to sell it before winter and actually start serving meals by the end of the year.
Season of Giving
Support NCFA on Give to the Max Day!
Created in 2009, Give to the Max Day generates donations and excitement for Minnesota causes that improve the quality of life for all Minnesotans. Give to the Max Day 2018 raised $21 million in 24 hours for 5,400 nonprofits and schools! Furthermore, GiveMN (the nonprofit that organizes Give to the Max Day) has given away more than $2 million in prizes to hundreds of nonprofits and schools in the first ten years of Give to the Max Day.
Your donation helps NCFA win prizes, including the grand prize of $10,000! The more donations, the more likely we are to receive prize money, so please give generously and tell your friends!
Give to the Max Day is Thursday, November 14th. But early giving starts November 1st, and makes us eligible for additional prizes. Mark your calendar and visit our GiveMN page to donate!
SeedMoney
SeedMoney is a Maine-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to help more individuals and communities, especially disadvantaged ones, to grow more of their own healthy food. Every year they host online crowdfunding platforms from November 15th to December 15th for community garden projects. Traditional crowdfunding campaigns generate money from donors, but SeedMoney combines this with additional grant opportunities based on demonstrated financial support. The more money a project raises using the crowdfunding tools, the larger the grant it qualifies to win. With your help, our community garden in North Minneapolis could win an additional $600!
Mark your calendars for November 15th and donate here to support our garden program!
Other Updates
Alerus Grant
Big thanks to Alerus Financial for awarding NCFA with a $3,000 grant! A portion of this money has already gone towards the garden and community meals programs, and will fund further developments we have in store.
New Address
We moved offices (again)! Please update your records to the following:
North Country Food Alliance
2400 Blaisdell Ave.
Suite 2B
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Unfortunately, the landlords at our last office space were causing problems, such as charging several hundred dollars more in utilities every month than what they originally told us, threatening to tow our van from the lot (even though we specifically put overnight parking in the lease), not fixing a leak in the roof that caused water damage every time it rained, and charging tenants for routine maintenance that should be included in the cost of rent. All this in a fancy office suite in Uptown! Thankfully we were able to end the lease early; now we are in an office that we feel much better about, and hope to stay long-term.
Meet Our New Workers!
Skye
Canvasser
Skye is the youngest worker at NCFA. They bring a passion for community organizing and creating a better world for all. When not working at NCFA, Skye attends high school and volunteers with various groups such as Southside Harm Reduction.
Alison
Canvasser
Alison has worked at nonprofit organizations for many years, including recent experience coordinating a weekly free community meal in South Minneapolis. In their free time, Alison likes learning about plants and horticulture, and community singing.
Lena
Admin Coordinator
Lena is one of the founding members of NCFA. They recently returned after spending time in California working for a housing cooperative. When not at work, Lena spends their time knitting, baking vegan treats, and watching cartoons.
Support Our Work
NCFA is a small nonprofit that depends entirely on the generosity of the community to share healthy food with those in need. With your help, we feed thousands of people every week. Please use the button below to donate online and sustain our programs!