Each March, Minnesota FoodShare, a program of the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches, organizes Minnesota's largest drive for the hungry:  the March Campaign.  Thousands of corporations, congregations, civic groups, and individuals raise millions of pounds of food and millions of dollars to feed families who need help. Channel One has participated in FoodShare since its inception in 1982.

With all the counting and weighing complete, the Channel One Minnesota FoodShare drive has come to a close with excellent results. The drive raised $122,740 which is 112% percent of the campaign monetary goal of $110,000. Food donations came close to meeting the goal of 75,000 pounds with a grand total of 71,585 pounds. The 2007 FoodShare campaign raised $101,044 and 59,999 pounds of food.

During March, Channel One joins with the other 320 food shelves across Minnesota to collect donations of money and food that support our local efforts to help feed people in need and reduce hunger in our community. When your congregation, business, school or service club participates in the March FoodShare campaign, we make sure that the food and money collected provides food assistance for local people who need it.  

In 2007, Channel One Food Shelf provided free supplemental food to an average 3,200 household visits each month, making food available to over 9,800 individuals on a monthly basis. The Food Shelf distributed more than 2.1 million pounds of food during 2007 – much of this work was accomplished with the assistance of people like you! Our work could not be as effective as it is without your generous support.

Top 2008 FoodShare Campaigns

FoodShare is truly a community driven food and fund drive that raises awareness about hunger in Minnesota. Channel One would like to express our appreciation for all the congregations, businesses, individuals, and groups that made the 2008 such a great success! The largest campaigns for 2008 are listed below.

Congregations

1. First Presbyterian Church: $7,140 and 357 pounds
2. Gloria Dei Lutheran Church: $5,080 and 422 pounds
3. Bethel Lutheran Church: $4,175.91 and 556 pounds

Business Campaigns

1. Olmsted County Employees: $2,990 and 1,256 pounds
2. KROC FM: $3,855 and 137 pounds
3. Eastwood Bank: $3,075 (participation in Denim Day)

FoodShare Planning Tips

• Call or e-mail Julie Christensen at Channel One and let us know that you are participating in the campaign—she can be reached at 507-424-1705 or via e-mail at juliechristensen@channel-one.org. She will coordinate barrel delivery and pick-up and provide you with additional resources to make your drive a success.

• Decide whether to do a cash or food drive:
• Cash is great – it’s easy to collect, you don’t have to haul bags of food, and it’s easy to deliver. For every $1.00 donated, it is possible for us to distribute enough food for five meals!
• Channel One has “s-t-r-e-t-c-h” posters available for you to pick up, both large and small size. Let us know if you need them to help your group understand the value of a cash contribution.
• Food is good – It’s great to have a visual focus for your drive, and kids in particular like to see the fruits of their labors. Commercially prepared, nonperishable food items are what we need. If you need a Channel One barrel, please call our office. We will deliver collection barrels on Friday, February 29 and then pick them up again on Monday, March 31. Barrels are limited, so please call ahead! If those dates don’t work for you, we can also schedule something more convenient for you.

• Check out ideas for your drive at the FoodShare website – www.gmcc.org/foodshare

• A video about the work of Channel One is available upon request that may be helpful in your FoodShare campaign. Contact Julie to obtain a video.
• Download the FoodShare Food Drive kit. Included in the kit are most requested food items, tips to make your drive successful, and other helpful information. Download Now.
• Have your drive, turn in your cash or food to Channel One no later than Friday, April 4. If you have money collected, but cannot get it to us by that date, please call. If we know how much your group has collected, we can count it towards our FoodShare total even if we receive it after the deadline! We’ll keep track of your donations and let you know how it all turns out!

Last year, Channel One’s March FoodShare campaign was the second largest campaign in the state because of your efforts. Help us call attention to the needs of our neighbors by participating in the campaign this year. Contact us with your questions or if you need additional information.

Feinstein Challenge

In conjunction with FoodShare, Channel One Food Bank and Food Shelf also participates in the “Feinstein Challenge” during March and April. Rhode Island philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein will donate $1 million to hunger relief agencies nationwide through his Challenge to Help Fight Hunger initiative.

Mr. Feinstein asks food banks, food shelves, and other hunger-relief organizations to use his donation to help raise additional funds from other sources. Nationwide, these organizations raise as much money as possible between March 1 and April 30, 2008. The more money we raise, the larger our share of the $1 million donation from this initiative. The results from the community's FoodShare activities and all donations that Channel One receives during the months of March and April are part of our eligibility for the “Feinstein Challenge”.