
CAC’s network of three food shelves covers much of Rice County and distributes over 1.2 million pounds of food annually. With a focus on fresh, healthy, and culturally specific foods, our community-informed, community-tailored approach ensures equitable access to food for those facing food insecurity.
We strive to create an experience for our community that feels safe, abundant, and dignified. Some rely on our food shelves regularly, while others come more sporadically when needed.
individuals, from over 2,800 households, visit our food shelves a grand total of 27,000 times each year
No Appointment Needed
CAC helps:
- Food is available for anyone who needs it up to once per week.
- No ID or proof of income is required.
- Minimal information is requested (name, address, number of people in your household, ages).
- Any information shared with us is kept confidential.
- Our staff speak English, Spanish, and Somali.
- No transportation? We can deliver!

- The food shelf always offers fresh produce, dairy products, eggs, meat, grains, shelf stable protein, cooking and baking ingredients, and more.
- We often have personal hygiene items, household products, as well as baby food and diapers.
- We provide additional food to seniors through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP).
- We do our best to honor dietary restrictions, allergies, and culturally specific food requests.
- When you visit the food shelf, other help is available. Staff can assist with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applications, and answer other questions related to employment, financial assistance, housing, and more.


There are lots of ways to contribute to the food shelf: volunteer your time, donate food or money, host a food drive, or assemble care bags for the community.
To prioritize community donations, please read about our most wanted categories. We can accept fresh or frozen foods, and homegrown produce is welcome as long as it is clean and bagged or boxed for donation. Prepared foods must come from a commercial kitchen with original packaging and label. Donation hours are 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, Monday-Friday.
Food Shelf
1400 Cannon Circle, Suite #8
Faribault, MN 55021
HOURS
Monday: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Tuesday: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Thursday: 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Friday: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Food Shelf – Main Location
1651 Jefferson Parkway, Suite HS-200
Northfield, MN 55057
HOURS
Monday & Tuesday: 11:00 am – 4:45 pm
Thursday: 11:00 am – 4:45 pm
Friday: 9:30 am – 1:45 pm
Food Shelf – Secondary Location
700 Lincoln Parkway
Northfield, MN 55057
HOURS
Thursday: 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
CAC’s vitality depends on the community — from volunteers to donations to program-specific support — so that we can continue to meet our neighbors’ basic needs.