Allina Health hospitals donate $17,000 to greater Minnesota food shelves

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Apr. 03, 2024) — Allina Health hospitals made donations to more than 20 food shelves in greater Minnesota, totaling $17,000 during Minnesota FoodShare Month, which runs from Feb. 26 to April 6, 2024. The recipients of the donations serve communities in Cambridge, Faribault, Owatonna, New Ulm, Buffalo and Hastings.

These donations are just a portion of the work Allina Health does in the communities it serves to address social determinants of health such as access to healthy food, housing, transportation and jobs that pay a livable wage.

“Hunger directly impacts a person’s health, but it is not something a doctor can prescribe medicine for,” said Aimee Pappenfus, director of System Community Benefit and Engagement at Allina Health. “It’s why we partner with community organizations working to make healthy, affordable food more accessible to everyone.”

Cambridge Medical Center (CMC) contributed $5,000 to Family Pathways and $2,000 to Braham Food Shelf. In addition to the monetary donation, staff at CMC and Isanti Clinic collected nearly 785 pounds of food to donate.

“Our food shelves provide families and individuals in crisis access to food. With the community's support, they actively ensure everyone has what they need to achieve and maintain health, well-being, and prosperity,” said Nicole Klanderud, Community Benefit and Engagement manager at CMC and Isanti Clinic.

Buffalo Hospital made donations to ten different food shelves, totaling $5,000.

“While we support these organizations year-round, we focus on Minnesota FoodShare month so they can get matching funds, which allows them to help even more people,” said Mona Volden, RN, Community Engagement and Wellness manager at Buffalo Hospital.

FoodShare Month encourages the community to donate cash and food to their local food shelves while raising awareness around hunger. Here’s a list of the 2024 Allina Health FoodShare Month recipients in Greater Minnesota.

Every three years, Allina Health completes a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) by using the most recent health and demographic data and input from the community to identify the health priorities of the community the health system serves. Social determinants of health, which includes access to food, continue to be a top priority as access to healthy foods is a cornerstone of good health.

In total, Allina Health has donated more than $40,000 to food shelves across the state during FoodShare month, and it will continue to make contributions throughout 2024. Allina Health donated more than $125,000 to food shelves in Minnesota and western Wisconsin in 2023.

Allina Health is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of illness and enhancing the greater health of individuals, families and communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A nonprofit health care system, Allina Health cares for patients from beginning to end-of-life through its 90+ clinics, 12 hospital campuses, 14 retail pharmacies, and many specialty care centers and specialty medical services, home care, and emergency medical transportation services. Learn more at allinahealth.org and join us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.