During times like these, how can you help?

As you may know, the Ralph Reeder Food Shelf has been a proud pillar of our community in providing ongoing support to our students, families and residents. 

Earlier this week, the District sent you a message reassuring that our schools have a strong network of community resources available and ready to support our students and families. As recent immigration-related activities have escalated anxiety around our school community, we’d like to provide some information about our resources and how you can help.

Need is increasing 
In recent years, we’ve seen the needs for support with housing and food increasing in our community. Our community has continued to step up in support by donating more than one million pounds of food and basic needs items with families in our District. That generosity supported more than 13,500 visits to the food shelf. 

Ways to help 
We’ve had countless community members reach out and ask how they can help their neighbors. At this time, one of the most impactful ways to help is to donate money and/or food to the Ralph Reeder Food Shelf. 

• Tax deductible donations can be made in person or online. Monetary donations help us purchase food from area food banks and retailers at discounted rates, which multiplies our purchasing power. 
• Current high need items are diapers (size 4, 5, 6), baby wipes, toilet paper and laundry detergent, as well as non-perishable food items. Find a list of the most-needed items here. Donations can be dropped off at the Ralph Reeder Food Shelf Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. - noon. Donations should be placed in the self-serve donation barrels at the back entrance (2544 Mounds View Blvd, Mounds View). 
• Currently, the food shelf is fortunate to have enough volunteers to cover their needs. We will provide updates and volunteer opportunities as they become available.

We’re grateful to our community for their generosity and willingness to help their neighbors.