Cargill Cares Alumni

Volunteer Projects

Second Harvest Heartland

VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY: Sort, label and package donated commodities


LOCATION: 7101 Winnetka Ave. N., Brooklyn Park, 55428


DAYS AND TIMESCCA shifts are held 3 times per month (specific days vary) from 9:00 - 11:00 AM.


ESTIMATED ANNUAL CCA VOLUNTEER IMPACT: Over the last year, CCA volunteers provided approximately 1,200 hours of service at Second Harvest. That equates to about 250,000 meals to help the hungry in our community. Cargill also provides Second Harvest with monetary support and donations of Cargill products.


ABOUT SECOND HARVEST HEARTLAND (SHH):

  • Second Harvest Heartland is one of the largest, most effective and innovative hunger relief organizations in the nation. Minnesotans visited food shelves over 7.5 million times in 2023. That's 2 million more visits than in 2022. With inflation and sky-high grocery prices, the need continues to rise. Second Harvest provides much needed food to local families who are missing meals.
  • More than 62% of the meals provided by SHH are fresh, including meat, produce, bakery and dairy items. Product that would otherwise go unharvested is redirected into the emergency hunger relief system. In addition, the Retail Food Rescue program collects thousands of pounds of grocery items from retail partners every day.
  • The "Make Hunger History" program was announced by Second Harvest and community partners in January 2024. It is a big, bold goal to cut hunger in half for all Minnesotans by 2030. Our volunteer efforts and support are critical to this effort.
  • Website: https://www.2harvest.org/
  • Individual Volunteer Opportunities: https://www.2harvest.org/get-involved/volunteer/ 

PROJECT LEAD/CONTACT INFORMATION:

Julie Rothstein:  612.219.8568 email: juliefoss@msn.com

EVERY MEAL

VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY:  CCA’s role would be to pack food bags that contain approximately four meals. 


LOCATION: EVERY MEAL’s packing warehouse is located in Roseville at 2723 Patton Road.


DAYS AND TIMES: Dates and times of the volunteer opportunities will vary based on shifts available at EVERY MEAL,  but the intent is to schedule one shift per month from 9:00 – 11:00am during the school year September – May.


ESTIMATED ANNUAL CCA VOLUNTEER IMPACT: TBD. New Volunteer Opportunity in 2024.


ABOUT EVERY MEAL: Every Meal is committed to fighting child hunger by ensuring every child in Minnesota has access to good food that they need to learn and grow. EVERY MEAL is a mobile delivery solution, providing culturally appropriate food to children right where they are – at school. Bags of food are packed at EVERY MEAL’s warehouse and then, at the end of each school week, are placed in needy children’s backpacks at their school.  Every Meal has grown from serving one school with a weekend food program to implementing multiple food gap programs serving over 10,000 children across 400 locations. Their Weekend Meal Program is the core of the program.  Their goal is that every school in Minnesota has the opportunity to implement a weekend food/backpack program. 


·  Individual Volunteer Opportunities: https://volunteer.everymeal.org/

 

PROJECT LEAD/CONTACT INFORMATION:  

Mary McCullough: 612-598-6015 email: jmcdmac@aol.com

Feed My Starving Children (FMSC)

VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY: FMSC offers volunteers a one-of -a-kind experience. You will hand-pack rice, soy, dried vegetables and a nutritionally complete blend of vitamins and minerals into bags which are then sealed, boxed, placed on pallets, and shipped to FMSC’s incredible partners working hard to reach the neediest children around the world.


LOCATIONS: FMSC Sites at Coon Rapids (401 93rd Ave. NW, 55433) and Chanhassen (18732 Lake Dr. E., 55317)


DAYS AND TIMES: Shifts are scheduled at Coon Rapids and Chanhassen – twice a year at each site. Shifts are 9:30 - 11:15 a.m.


ESTIMATED ANNUAL CCA VOLUNTEER IMPACT:  IMPACT: In 2024 Cargill volunteers packed approximately 22,000 meals at Feed My Starving Children events. Those meals are feeding sixty children for a year.


ABOUT FMSC: 

  • FMSC’s Mission is feeding God’s starving children hungry in body and spirit.

  • Every year, millions of children die from preventable causes such as pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, and undernutrition. Hunger is still causing nearly half of deaths in children under 5 years old. From this data, FMSC estimates at least 6,200 children die each day from causes related to undernutrition. This is heartbreaking.

  • FMSC believes hope starts with food. As a Christian nonprofit, FMSC is dedicated to seeing every child whole in body and spirit. FMSC works with food distribution partners that stay with communities for the long haul, empowering them to move from relief to development.

  • FMSC meals were developed by food science and nutrition professionals (including people from Cargill) to supplement nutritional needs and reduce problems with malnutrition. Nutrition allows children to grow, thrive and develop to their full potential.

 

CCA PROJECT LEAD/CONTACT INFORMATION:

Thom Schultz: 763-568-1233          email:  thomschultz@hotmail.com

The Food Group

VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY: Repackage donated food into smaller boxes or packages to be distributed to TFG's network of hunger relief organizations; sort and remove damaged, perishable and nonfood items that have been donated; package special foods packs for specific programs such as Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.

LOCATION: 8501 54th Ave. N. New Hope

DAYS AND TIMES: First Wednesday of the month (unless a holiday) from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.

ESTIMATED ANNUAL CCA VOLUNTEER IMPACT: In fiscal 2024, CCA members volunteered about 300 hours to pack food that goes to food shelfs and other hunger relief organizations.

ABOUT THE FOOD GROUP:

  • For more than 40 years, TFG has worked to provide good foods to those who need it most. TFG focuses on local food access, equity and nutrition issues related to food and hunger in more than 30 counties in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin and works on both ends of the food system from production to distribution.
  • TFG also partners with more than 200 food shelves and meal programs too offer distribution of food, bulk purchasing, nutrition education and resources, capacity building support, and culturally equitable food and resources.
  • TFG also has a traveling nutritious grocery store, which makes monthly stops at 37 distribution sites across the Twin Cities and greater MN to offer fresh produce and quality meats with discounts up to 30 percent off retail prices.
  • TFG's BIG RIVER Farms creates market opportunities for participating farmers.
  • Website: https://thefoodgroupmn.org
  • Individual Volunteer Opportunities: https://thefoodgroupmn.org/get-involved/volunteer/

CCA PROJECT LEAD/CONTACT:

John Tschumperlin: 612-325-2220     email: tschump@aol.com

Open Arms of Minnesota 

VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY:

  • Preparing, portioning, and packaging of food (group activity coordinated by CCA)
  • Picking up and delivering food to clients (individual activity coordinated by Cargill)

LOCATIONS: 

  • Kitchens and Campuses - Minneapolis at 2500 Bloomington Ave and St. Paul at 380 E Lafayette Frontage Rd
  • Meal Deliveries: Cargill Hub in St Louis Park

DAYS AND TIMES: 

  • Kitchens – One 3-to-4-hour Minneapolis and/or St. Paul Kitchen Event each month beginning in August of 2024, depending on volunteer availability. Coordinated by Jan Weisberg (janiceweisberg01@gmail.com).        
  • Meal Deliveries – weekly on Wednesdays. Food pickup is between 10:45 -11:30 am at the Cargill Hub in St Louis Park. Delivery routes are approximately 2 hours and have typically 4-8 stops. Meal delivery routes and schedules are coordinated by Jerry Lichstsinn (jerry_lichtsinn@cargill.com).

ESTIMATED ANNUAL CCA VOLUNTEER IMPACT: Open Arms is a new CCA volunteer partner. At this point, the actual impact needs to be determined.  In Fiscal Year2022-23, Open Arms prepared & delivered 1,024,543 meals to 4,448 clients, caregivers, and dependents.

ABOUT OPEN ARMS:

  • Open Arms of Minnesota is a nonprofit that prepares and delivers medically tailored meals free of cost to critically ill Minnesotans and their loved ones.
  • Open Arms clients are those that have (1) been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, MS, ALS, ESRD,CHF,COPD, or Covid, (2)  compromised nutritional status and/or (3) difficulty accessing or preparing healthy foods.
  • Open Arms offers medically tailored meals, convenient home deliveries, nutrition support, heathy ingredients, care for clients and family and a community of kindness and love
  • Open Arms was founded by a volunteer, operated many years exclusively with volunteers, and today, although they have full time staff, volunteers continue to be their heart and soul. Open Arms has a wide variety of volunteer opportunities other than those sponsored by CCA and Cargill. To view these opportunities, go to https://www.openarmsmn.org/volunteer/
  • Open Arms of MN Websitehttps://www.openarmsmn.org/

PROJECT LEAD(PL)/CONTACT INFORMATION:

The Good Acre (TGA) 

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: 

    • CSA Produce Packing (CCA sponsored group event). Volunteers will build boxes and pack farm grown produce into those boxes via an assembly line. Desired shift size is 12 volunteers.
    • Other Individual TGA Produce Packing and Garden events. To sign-up for these shifts, go to the TGA website’s volunteer page (click here to access). Individuals signing up for these shifts, must report their volunteer hours by logging into the CCA Website and completing the CCA Volunteer Worksheet. (Click here to access)

    LOCATION: 1790 Larpenteur Ave. W., Falcon Heights, MN 55113


    DAYS AND TIMES: Food Share Produce Packing events are from 1:00 to 4:00 pm the third Tuesday of each month from June thru October.


    ESTIMATED ANNUAL CCA VOLUNTEER IMPACT: TBD CCA members not including travel time spend ~124 hours of their time each season helping TGA deliver on their mission.

    ABOUT TGA:

      • Is a non-profit food hub that provides services, support, and skills to farmers, food-
      • makers, and consumers.
      • Their mission is to unlock economic opportunities for their farm partners and provide fresh produce to households across the Twin Cities who participate in the CSA.
      • In 2024, 700 households participated in TGA’s CSA Program. The CSA Program generated nearly $500,000 in revenue for small, local farmers and food businesses, the majority of whom are growers of color;
      • In 2023, they partnered with 124 farms and food producers to source ~97 different varieties of produce which were packed in CSA Program boxes.
      • To empower emerging farmers with enhanced market access opportunities, TGA created the LEAFF (Local Emergency Assistance Farmer Fund) program that provides participants with the technical support needed to prepare for wholesale production. The produce purchased through LEAFF is then donated to hunger relief organizations like Second Harvest Heartland serving the Twin Cities and beyond.
      • Website: Home - The Good Acre

      CCA PROJECT LEAD(PL)/CONTACT(OC):

      PL:  Jan Weisberg: 612.220.9052  email: janiceweisberg01@gmail.com

      Habitat for Humanity

      VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY:  Home construction from foundations to final trim at home build sites. CCA also works in the panel plant framing walls during the winter and spring. CCA provides construction workers, crew leaders and general labor.

       

      LOCATION: Various sites in the Metro Twin Cities area.

       

      DATES AND TIMES: Volunteer times - September and October (Cargill-sponsored build): Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Other months: Most Tuesdays when and where Habitat schedules our team, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Please volunteer ahead of time in order to ensure proper waivers are completed prior to arriving at the site.


      ANNUAL CCA ESTIMATED VOLUNTEER IMPACT: In 2023, CCA volunteers devoted over 2,225 hours to H4H and provided a family with a finished house in Chaska. At the average construction laborer hourly wage in Minneapolis, these hours are valued at nearly $100,000.

       

      ABOUT H4H: 

      • Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hopeHabitat’s vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Habitat focusses on shelter while promoting dignity and hope, supporting sustainable and transformative development and advocating for affordable housing.

      • Housing insecurity touches nearly half of adults in the United States at some point in their lives. Most Americans believe that it is challenging to find affordable quality housing in their communities. More than half of all adults say they have made at least one trade-off in order to cover their rent or mortgage, including taking second jobs, cutting back on health care and healthy food, and moving to less safe neighborhoods.

      • Habitat for Humanity is a Christian organization.

       

      CCA PROJECT LEAD/CONTACT INFORMATION:

      Tom Sasman: 763.218.7627             email: tomsasman@gmail.com


      Bridging

      VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY: CCA volunteers prepare donated items for use by needy families (sort and put silverware, dishes and bedding sets together, assemble dresser kits and clean furniture before client pickup), load and unload trucks, and whatever else needs to be done. Alternatives available for CCA volunteers with restrictions.

      LOCATION: 201 W. 87th Street, Bloomington, MN 55420

      DAYS AND TIMES: Four times annually (dates to be determined) from 1:00-3:30 p.m.

      ESTIMATED ANNUAL CCA VOLUNTEER IMPACT: Groups of 5 to 7 volunteered about 80 hours in fiscal 2024 to help Bridging clients transition from homelessness.

      ABOUT BRIDGING:

      • Through the effective reuse of donated items, Bridging improves lives by providing quality furniture and household goods to those transitioning out of homelessness. Bridging serves more 4,500 households annually. The average value of the home furnishings and essentials provided to a family is $1,800 (thrift store value). More than half of the individuals served are under the age of 17 and 87% of clients have a household income of less than $20,000/year.
      • By accepting quality, gently used items, Bridging diverts 200,000 pounds from the landfill each week (10 million pounds/year).
      • Website: https://www.bridging.org/
      • Individual Volunteer Opportunities: https://www.bridging.org/engage/volunteer/
      • Video about Bridging: https://youtu.be/eCm_jnvEK2s 

      CCA PROJECT LEAD/CONTACT:

      Gene Van't Hof: 612.877.0533        email: gvanthof@comcast.net

      Prodeo Academy

      VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY: Small group projects completing various behind-the-scenes activities and odd jobs to support the work teachers do. This includes labeling and sorting books, making flash cards, “grading” donated books, organizing supplies, putting up shelves, admin support, creating charts, preparing Literacy Night packets, Organizing and replenishing “buckets” of school supplies for each grade, etc.

      LOCATION:  620 Olson Memorial Highway, Minneapolis 55411 (near the Minneapolis downtown farmers’ market)

      DATES AND TIMES3-4hr shifts as needed once/month (or less) 

      ANNUAL CCA ESTIMATED VOLUNTEER IMPACTDue to COVID, volunteer support was largely put on hold until 2024. Emerging from COVID, however, CCA volunteers, in small teams of 6 to 8, worked over 50 hours this past year - behind-the-scenes on activities and odd-jobs to support the work teachers do.

      ABOUT PRODEO: 

      • Prodeo Academy is a college preparatory school that develops students to be critical thinkers and intelligent leaders, expanding their opportunities to contribute positively and productively to society.
      • In Latin, Prodeo means "to advance" or "go forward", and at Prodeo Academy, we believe in the growth of the whole person. From their first day on campus, we are preparing our children for college and the skills necessary to be successful in life. Everything we do at Prodeo Academy, both in and out of the classroom, is based on our Five Core Values: P.R.I.D.E. (Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Development, and Enthusiasm.)
      • Individual Volunteer Opportunities: http://prodeoacademy.org/get_involved/apply_to_tutor                     

      PROJECT LEAD/CONTACT INFORMATION:

      Dave Braden: 952.237.5870                 email: dbbraden@gmail.com                    

      Three Rivers Park District

      VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY: Maintain the designated sections of the trail by doing a spring and

       fall cleanup.

      LOCATIONS: Sections 3 and 4 of the Dakota Rail Regional Trail system (approximately 4.5 miles).

      DAYS AND TIMES: Determined by Project Lead depending on weather. Spring cleanup is typically in April or May and fall cleanup in October.

      ESTIMATED ANNUAL CCA VOLUNTEER IMPACT: Approximately 4.5 miles of pristine trail for walking, running, and biking.

      ABOUT THREE RIVERS:

      • Three Rivers Park District is a park district serving the suburban areas of the Twin Cities including suburban Hennepin, Carver, Dakota, Scott and Ramsey counties.
      • Three Rivers' mission is "To promote environmental stewardship through recreation and education in a natural resources-based park system."
      • Three Rivers operates twenty parks and ten regional trails (over 27,000 acres), with at least two more regional trails planned.
      • Nearly seven million people visit Three Rivers facilities each year.
      • Individual Volunteer Opportunities:   https://www.threeriversparks.org/page/volunteer

      PROJECT LEAD/CONTACT INFORMATION:

      John Tschumperlin: 612-325-2220        email: tschump@aol.com

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