Innovative Market to Ensure Dignified Access to
6,500 Duluth Area Neighbors Supported Each Month
Second Harvest Northland is beginning construction this week on the second and final phase of its $20 million Nourish the Northland Capital Campaign.
When completed in November, the west Duluth facility will include a market (grocery-style food shelf)
along with a volunteer and community engagement center.
Second Harvest Northland’s President/CEO, Shaye Moris, stated it couldn’t come at a better time as use at its food shelf program has doubled since its move to west Duluth in January 2025.
“Regionally, the 70 area food shelves that our ‘food bank’ supports are experiencing a 27% increase in demand as high inflation continues to impact families and seniors in NE Minnesota and NW Wisconsin,” Moris states. “At our own drive-through food shelf program here in Duluth we’re supporting more than 6,500 neighbors each month, including proportionately more children and seniors. We want to ensure dignified access and are so excited for our innovative, new market program.”
Since the 1960s, food shelves nationally have served as frontline programs providing food access to low-income individuals and families. Second Harvest’s market will offer neighbors an opportunity to shop for their groceries in a warm, welcoming environment, but will remove “food shelf” from its program name to remove the stigma often associated with charitable food access.
In addition, Second Harvest Northland’s new construction will include a volunteer and community engagement center capable of hosting meetings and team building alongside volunteer experiences for corporate, faith-based, social/fraternal and other regional groups.
To date, Second Harvest Northland has raised a little less than $12 million for its capital campaign. Three dollar-for-dollar matches are still available for any individual, corporation/business orvolunteer who makes a contribution to the campaign.
The Miner Family/Super One Foods is matching up to $500,000 for all corporate gifts, Royal and Karen Alworth are matching up to $500,000 for all individual gifts, and an anonymous volunteer is matching all gifts by volunteers up to $50,000; $535,871 in matching funds remain available through November.
“Already our new facility has increased the types of food that our Northland neighbors most desire, including dairy, fresh produce and meat/fish/poultry. We’re excited to see how this next phase of construction will have even greater impact.”
In addition to making investments in its Duluth programming, Moris shared that it will be announcing investments to its Grand Rapids programming in July.
For more information about Second Harvest Northland or the Nourish the Northland Capital Campaign, 218-727-5653, info@secondharvestnorthland.org or visit www.secondharvestnorthland.org/nourish.
