Closing our gap of 100 million missing meals

More than a half a million Minnesotans are hungry

They are food-insecure, which means they frequently do not know where their next meal is coming from. Every other day, they miss one meal. Mothers, fathers, seniors, children: They go to bed with growling, empty stomachs and wake up even hungrier.

In a state with the agricultural resources of Minnesota, it is surprising that 583,000 people miss more than 100 million meals every year. Surprising, but true. 

It is this startling statistic — the missing 100 million meals — that provides the goal and finish line for the Hunger-Free Minnesota campaign. If you know the scope of the problem, you can begin to formulate a solution.

Building an Action Plan

Hunger-Free Minnesota’s action plan started with five groundbreaking research studies. 

In addition, the Minneapolis office of The Boston Consulting Group partnered with Hunger-Free Minnesota to conduct research and create a plan to address the 100 million-meal gap. The Boston Consulting Group concluded that, using a variety of strategies, it was possible to provide the 100 million missing meals on an annual and sustainable basis. 

Using The Boston Consulting Group’s work as a basis, Hunger-Free Minnesota identified 22 different initiatives with the potential of adding 100 million more meals, annually and sustainably, for Minnesota’s hungriest citizens. These initiatives combine to form an action plan, reviewed by nearly 500 key stakeholders and organizations across the state.

In 2012, Hunger-Free Minnesota will focus its efforts on eight initiatives with the power to unlock many of those meals, annually and sustainably, by 2015.