BEMIDJI — With costs at the grocery store continuing to hit the pocketbooks of Northern Minnesotans, food shelves across the state report increasing numbers of visiting families.
The nonprofit Hunger Solutions reported about 2 million more visits to food shelves in the state in 2024, a similar increase from 2023 when the last COVID-19 food assistance dollars were distributed.
Bemidji Community Food Shelf Executive Director Mike Olson said he has seen a similar increase in local demand.
“We've been serving about 1,200 families a month since [2023] and prior to that, we were probably more at 600-700 families a month," Olson said, adding that visits increased another 25% in 2024. "We're serving 42,000 people a year from 13,000 families and we are just shy of 1 million pounds of food we distributed from our food shelf here in Bemidji.”
Olson estimated the pounds of food delivered in a year had a value of about $1.8 million.
Bemidji Community Food Shelf is an emergency food shelf that typically provides about 10 meals worth of food per visit. Anyone making 300% or less of the federal poverty level can visit once per month, which caps at about $83,000 for a family of four or $55,000 for a family of two.
Olson said cuts at the federal level combined with inflation could increase demand and need at the food shelf, especially with programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, eyed as potential fodder for the federal chopping block.
"Our concern is that if further cuts happen to SNAP, we're going to see another increase in the amount of people that come in for support," Olson said. “The other part that we're concerned about is the Emergency Food Assistance Program, and it comes out of the Department of Agriculture and it provides us with commodities."
In a Feb. 26 studio interview with KAXE, Olson said community contributions fund the majority of the food shelf budget, but these kinds of economic changes on the federal level could have major local impacts.
“Not only the fact that our clients are experiencing increased costs, and they're extremely price sensitive,” Olson said. “The other part is the food that we purchase, which we do buy two-thirds of the food we distribute, also goes up. So it could be the perfect storm that may be coming.”
Olson said he remains optimistic for the future, given the community’s long-standing support to this cause over 42 years.
"We know what the trend looks but we're not sure how that's going to go, and I think now it's just a critical time for people to respond, to let their representatives know how important it is, because there are bills now in front of Congress that are talking about a 20% decrease in the Department of Agriculture, which is where we get our support, things like that.”
Olson pointed to the Minnesota FoodShare March Campaign, which began about 20 years ago with the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches soliciting funds from major companies. From March 1 through April 6, participating food shelves can receive a partial match for every dollar raised, with food shelves typically able to stretch dollars further by making food purchases themselves rather than pantry donations.
Across the state, hunger — or the food insecurity of not knowing where your next meal is coming from — affects about 1 in 11 people, and 1 in 7 children. Olson described hunger as invisible, and any classroom in Bemidji likely has hungry children in it that may have difficulties focusing on schoolwork.
“If your child's in that room, all of a sudden they may be getting less attention, because the teacher has to focus on these children that may need extra help,” Olson said. “I see people in our waiting room, of all ages, demographics. We are all two weeks away from ending up someplace that we don't want to be.”
The Bemidji Community Food Shelf hosts medical clinics, blood drives and many other services for the community. It also uses a deep winter greenhouse to start plants for its farm program, providing garden fresh produce to food shelf clients.
Bemidji’s food shelf is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with more information on how to be involved on their website.
