Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud is proud to once again participate in the 16th annual Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless Summer Challenge, an initiative that offers matching grant funds to Minnesota food shelves throughout the month of July.
As families across Central Minnesota face rising food costs and shrinking resources, the need for food assistance continues to surge. In fact, food insecurity in the state remains alarmingly high, with 1 in 5 Minnesota households unable to afford the food they need. Catholic Charities Emergency Services Food Shelf is seeing record numbers of individuals and families visiting their pantry — many for the very first time.
“Summer is an especially difficult time for our neighbors in need,” said Eric Vollen, Emergency Services Program Manager at Catholic Charities. “Children are out of school, household budgets are stretched, and donations traditionally slow down. The Summer Challenge gives us a vital opportunity to double the impact of every dollar raised — helping us keep nutritious food on our shelves when it’s needed most.”
Catholic Charities Food Shelf, located at 157 Roosevelt Rd. in St. Cloud, serves individuals and families from throughout the region. It provides a respectful, choice-based food shopping experience, helping people select the food that best fits their dietary and cultural needs. In 2024 alone, the food shelf distributed over 2.7 million pounds of food through the food shelf, mobile outreach and emergency food bags.
Thanks to Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless, every dollar donated to the food shelf during July will help qualify for a proportional matching grant — up to $4,000 — boosting the impact of community support. Statewide, food shelves that participate in the Summer Challenge typically raise over $2 million in local donations, helping fight hunger at the local level during a season when food insecurity can quietly intensify.
“This initiative gives us a chance to shine a light on hunger in our own neighborhoods — and to do something about it together,” said Jessica Mathias, Executive Director at Open Your Heart. “We’re honored to support local food shelves like Catholic Charities that are doing the essential, frontline work of feeding Minnesotans in need.”
How to Help:
Donations to support Catholic Charities Food Shelf during the July Summer Challenge can be made online at ccstcloud.org. Please indicate “Food Shelf Summer Challenge” in your gift designation. For more information on the Summer Challenge and to view a full list of participating food shelves, visit oyh.org/summerchallenge.