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.
|
Organization |
Amount |
Hospital |
|
Community Action Center of Faribault |
$500 |
Faribault Medical Center |
|
Community Action Center of Northfield |
$500 |
Faribault Medical Center |
|
Lonsdale Area Food Shelf, Inc. |
$500 |
Faribault Medical Center |
|
St. Vincent de Paul Faribault |
$500 |
Faribault Medical Center |
|
Community Pathways of Steele County, Inc. |
$500 |
Owatonna Hospital |
|
New Ulm Area Food Shelf |
$1000 |
New Ulm Medical Center |
|
Sleepy Eye Food Shelf |
$500 |
New Ulm Medical Center |
|
Springfield Area Food Shelf |
$500 |
New Ulm Medical Center |
|
Family Pathways |
$5,000 |
Cambridge Medical Center |
|
Braham Food Shelf |
$2,000 |
Cambridge Medical Center |
|
Annandale Food Shelf |
$500 |
Buffalo Hospital |
|
Cokato Food Shelf (not food share participant) |
$500 |
Buffalo Hospital |
|
Buffalo Food Shelf |
$500 |
Buffalo Hospital |
|
Rockford River works |
$500 |
Buffalo Hospital |
|
WCCA Waverly Food Shelf |
$500 |
Buffalo Hospital |
|
Delano Food Shelf (not food share participant) |
$500 |
Buffalo Hospital |
|
Hanover Food Shelf |
$500 |
Buffalo Hospital |
|
Clearwater Food Shelf |
$500 |
Buffalo Hospital |
|
Monticello Food Shelf |
$500 |
Buffalo Hospital |
|
McLeod County Food Shelf |
$500 |
Buffalo Hospital |
|
Hastings Family Service |
$500 |
United Hospital – Hastings Regina Campus |
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.