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Food banks, free groceries and food shelves in Minnesota.
The state of Minnesota has many food pantries, distribution centers, and charity run food banks that will provide help to low-income families and struggling people. There are free groceries given or hot meals served to people who are faced with a hardship situation or that have little or no money. Find a free food bank that will be near you in MN below with links to local pantries and contact information.
Some of the distribution centers or drive thru food pantries listed below may have other items as well, such as free dog or cat food or summer snacks for students out of school. Hot meals are often provided too. Note some of the pantries are called food shelves, but that is the same as a pantry. Most of them work closely with local charities that may be located closer to your home. For example they may partner with churches, organizations like the Salvation Army, Feeding America and other agencies. So feel free to call them to get referred to another local agency.
Ask a pantry or food shelve center below in order to get information for resources in your county. This can include USDA commodities like cheese or dairy, SNAP food stamps, and other government aid. Learn more on SNAP benefits.
Local free food pantries and food shelves in MN near you
While some of the main food banks are listed below (scroll down the page), each town, county, and region across the state of Minnesota has their own local non-profit centers on site. Select your county - area below for local food pantries or soup kitchens. The assistance provided is local and will generally only help people in the immediate area.
Anoka County
Dakota County
Hennepin County including Minneapolis food banks
Olmsted County
Ramsey County
St. Louis County
Stearns County
Washington County
Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank is part of the Feeding America Network. They provide support in many northern parts of MN, including the counties of Carlton, Cook, Lake, and St. Louis County MN. A wide range of programs are offered in partnership with corporations, charities, churches and others.
- Low-income families can get help from Mobile Pantries or use a free food pantry for fresh produce or dairy. They help with applications to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as well as US commodity services. Get groceries, hot meals, home delivery and more. The main site is at 452302 Commonwealth Ave, Duluth, MN 55808. Call 218.727.5653
North Country Food Bank, Inc. operates a number of assistance programs for low-income families, the elderly, veterans and disabled (among others) in their service territory. Programs include School and Free Family Pantries, SNAP Outreach Program, Health and Nutrition workshops, and even shopping classes.
- They offer information such as coupons and tips on unit pricing. Or they help shoppers use apps to save money on grocery shopping. All this is in addition to free food passed out daily. The counties served include Becker, Beltrami, Clearwater, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, Kittson. They also work with partner pantries in Lake Of The Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Polk, Pope, Red Lake, Roseau, Stevens, Traverse, Wadena, and Wilkin. The main location is 1011 11th Ave. NE, East Grand Forks, MN 56721. Call 218.399.7356
Second Harvest North Central Food Bank is based at 2222 Cromell Drive, Grand Rapids, MN 55744. Call 218.326.4420. They work with hundreds of local partners and pantries in the counties of Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, Itasca, Kanabec, Koochiching, as well as Mille Lacs.
- Based on resources, there may be free groceries, Meals on Wheels programs, or surplus commodity items. A free pet food banks (for dog and cat food) as well as other aid is offered, including Summer Feeding Program for kids out of school.
A toll free hotline can provide residents with assistance as well. The non-profit agency known as Hunger Solutions runs it, and clients can receive referrals to local food shelves, soup kitchens, and more. Staff will advocate to ensure families and children have the low cost, healthy food they need, and the support team at the hot line can help in other ways. This can include referrals to benefits such as SNAP food stamps and other public aid. Find more details on Hunger Solutions in Minnesota.
Second Harvest Heartland serves the most counties in Minnesota. The Feeding America locations, and its hundreds of partners, provide everything from applications to Commodity Supplemental Food Program to USDA food stamps. There are also free hygiene supplies, baby formula programs, National Produce Program and much more. The Main office is at 7101 Winnetka Avenue N., Brooklyn Park, MN 55428. Call 651.484.5117.
- The service area includes the counties of Anoka, Benton, Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Carver, Chippewa, Chisago, Cottonwood, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, and Jackson. The non-profit also helps the areas of Kandiyohi, Lac Qui Parle, Le Sueur, Lincoln, Lyon, Mc Leod, Martin, Meeker, Morrison, Murray as well as Nicollet.
- The Heartland location also supports single mothers, the elderly and others in Nobles, Pine, Pipestone, Ramsey, Redwood, Renville, Rock, Scott, Sherburne, Sibley, Stearns, Swift, Todd, and Washington. Other areas covered by Second Harvest include Watonwan, Wright, Yellow Medicine, Barron, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Price, Rusk, St. Croix, Sawyer, Taylor, Trempealeau, and Washburn County.
 Feeding America has details on additional Minnesota free food bank locations. To learn about other food assistance programs in the region near you, call the number below. Families can get free food, applications to hunger relief programs such as SNAP or WIC, and they can get the locations of additional food banks from Feeding America in MN. Dial the Minnesota Food Helpline at 1-888-711-1151.
Channel One Food Bank is based at 131 35th Street, SE, Rochester, MN 55904. They work with charities, churches and social service offices in Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, and Winona County.
- In addition to free, shelf stable food they also provide Kids’ BackPack Program as well as applications to USDA meals. There is also the Mobile Pantry, the GROW Up with Good Nutrition Initiative as well as FOODRx, which is for the disabled. A central kitchen also serves free hot meals. Call 507.287.2350.
Lutheran Social Service provides free meals and food boxes, with a focus on seniors and adults with disabilities. One main program is Meals on Wheels which covers almost 50 counties. The food shelves are free (fruits, vegetables, frozen foods, shelf stable food, etc.) but regarding Meals on Wheels, while many LSS programs request a small contribution, eligible low-income clients often receive meals at no cost. Search LSS’s Minnesota network at https://www.lssmn.org/services/older-adults/lss-meals.
Great Plains Food Bank mostly assists ND, but Clay County Minnesota residents can use it too. The location is 1720 3rd Avenue North, Fargo, ND 58102. Call 701.232.6219. Provides support to food pantries in towns and cities across the border region of Minnesota.
- Call this center for help. Volunteers and full time staff on site can direct individuals to local food programs, refer them to government aid, and assist them in dealing with emergency situations. Provides free food, canned goods, fruits, and other needed items to the capital region.
Loaves & Fishes of MN operates free, no-questions asked community meal sites in many Minnesota counties. While most of the soup kitchens are focused on the Twin Cities area, other regions are covered too with a map and schedule o the website: https://www.loavesandfishesmn.org/find-a-community-meal/. Hot meals may be provided to the less fortunate, homeless, and low income.
Bemidji Community Food Shelf helps people in the local community. The location is 1260 Exchange Ave SE, Bemidji, MN 56601. Dial (218) 444-6580. This is one of the local social service agencies in the region. Food, limited financial help for bills including groceries, and much more is provided.
The Food Group of Hennepin County is part of the Emergency Foodshelf Network. The main office is at 8501 54th Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55428. Call 763-450-3860. The charity partners with churches and charities to feed the poor, low-income, and less fortunate. Get free groceries, fruit or vegetables, ingredients and other help.
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