Thanks to generous community support, Community Action Center continues to meet the growing need for food with dignity, care, and respect. In 2025, CAC supported:
DISTRIBUTED TO OUR COMMUNITY
SERVING 188+ HOUSEHOLDS PER DAY
RESIDENTS UTILIZED CAC SERIVCES
Donations made from March 1st-April 6th can be counted towards our 2026 MN FoodShare Campaign.
Amid government shutdowns, SNAP shortfalls, immigration impacts, and families sheltering in place, Community Action Center has remained a steady and trusted presence in our community.
Today, demand for food access is at its highest level since COVID — and the need continues to grow.
To meet this moment, CAC has adapted quickly — expanding how food reaches neighbors through creative, flexible solutions. Today, we average 155+ emergency home deliveries each week, helping families access food safely and reliably.
This year alone, more than 400 new volunteers stepped forward — strengthening our shared commitment to care for one another.
Working alongside Northfield Supporting Neighbors, Faribault Supporting Families, Growing Up Healthy, and local Faith Community Leaders, CAC continues to coordinate and strengthen our community’s crisis response.
YOUR SUPPORT MAKES A DIFFERENCE
The MN FoodShare March Campaign helps ensure our food shelves remain stocked during a time of increased demand.
Donate in March and make a bigger impact. Because of CAC’s strong partnerships with food banks, your gift can go 10 times further!
The MN FoodShare March Campaign is CAC’s largest annual food drive, providing nearly half of our yearly food budget. Your generosity ensures families don’t have to face the uncertainty of hunger alone.
Join us. Make your March gift go further.
Hunger isn’t seasonal — and neither is the need for thoughtful, practical food donations. Each week, we’re focusing on a different category of high-need items to help families cook, plan, and nourish their households with dignity.
While we highlight specific themes, all donations are appreciated and make a difference. Items may be dropped off during regular Food Shelf hours at our Faribault or Northfield locations.
Kitchen Basics
These quiet staples stretch meals and make everything else possible. When our shelves are stocked with the basics, families can cook the foods they know and love.
Most Needed Items:
- Flour (White or Whole Wheat)
- Sugar
- Yeast, Baking Powder, Baking Soda
- Salt & Spices
- Cooking oil
- Condiments (Ketchup, Mustard, Mayo)
Good Mornings
Breakfast fuels learning, work, and everything that comes after. These items help families begin the day with stability and energy.
Most Needed Items:
- Cereal (Low-Sugar Options Appreciated)
- Oatmeal & Granola Bars
- Pancake Mix & Syrup
- Peanut Butter & Jelly
- Shelf-stable Milk
- Dried Fruit
Grab & Go
Portable, easy-to-pack foods matter for kids heading to school and adults heading to work. These items support dignity and flexibility.
Most Needed Items:
- Crackers, Nuts & Trail Mix
- Fruit Cups or Applesauce
- Tuna packets
- Popcorn, Preztels, Snack Packs
- Shelf-stable Cheese, Cheese & Crackers
Global Table
Food is identity. Food is memory. Food is belonging. These items reflect the ingredients many of our neighbors cook with every day.
Most Needed Items:
- Masa Harina
- White or Basmati Rice
- Dry Beans (Black, Pinto, Lentils, Chickpeas)
- Pasta
- Dates
- Cornmeal
- Tomato Sauce
- Canned Hominy
CAC uses Donorbox for our donation processing, ensuring that all transactions are completely secure. Donorbox does not retain any bank or card information as credit card data is encrypted and tokenized. Moreover, Donorbox is SSL/TLS secured and meets PCI compliance standards for additional protection.
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.
SHELF-STABLE PROTEINS
• Dried beans (black and pinto)
• Canned meat & fish
• Nut butters
• Shelf stable non-dairy milk
• Other plant-based proteins
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
• Canned peppers (jalapeños, chipotles)
• Canned hominy, mushrooms, nopalitos
• Other dried, fresh, or frozen veg
• Homegrown food should be clean and bagged or boxed for donation
GRAINS
• Rice
• Flour
• Masa harina
• Pasta
• Whole grains
COOKING & BAKING
• Oil
• Spices
• Sugar
• Condiments
OTHER ESSENTIALS
• Paper or reusable grocery bags, in good condition only and no plastic please
• Menstrual products
• Diapers, especially sizes 5, 6, 7
• Baby wipes
• Personal care items, including shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, body wash
• Household items, including paper towels, toilet paper, dish soap, laundry soap, cleaning products
Here are the tips to putting together a successful drive:
1. Host a ‘virtual food drive’ to make the greatest impact. Collecting food can be very satisfying, but dollar-for-dollar, monetary donations to our food program will make the biggest difference. CAC can help organize an easy virtual drive with QR codes, branding, and communications that will give your team a goal and produce a measurable impact, whether it’s instead of or alongside an in-person collection. Reach out to gro.retnecnoitcaytinummoc@snoitanod to set one up.
2. Familiarize yourself with our Most Wanted Categories. Learn which items are most sought after by families and hardest for us to keep in supply.
3. Consider a themed food drive to focus your effort. It can be helpful to collect many donations of the same kind; this enables us to keep an item in stock and provide broad access to many participants. For example, you might focus on baking products, breakfast foods, diapers, menstrual products, cooking oil, etc.
4. Pick a duration and start collecting. Most food drives last 2-4 weeks, but you can choose a length that works for you.
5. Organize a drop-off of your donations at the food shelf. Please plan to deliver your donations to CAC in person at the conclusion of your drive. You can do this during our normal donation hours, which are 9AM-4PM Monday-Friday at either our Northfield or our Faribault location. Deliveries are easier for us to intake and process earlier in the day, and you only need to call or email ahead with especially large donations.
6. Don’t forget to tell the story of your drive! It’s important to connect your participants with the impact of their efforts. CAC will weigh your food donations and tally your monetary donations so you know exactly how much you’ve contributed to the wellbeing of your neighbors. With advance notice, we’re also happy to arrange a tour of your local food shelf for your group
Sourcing, assembling, and donating different care bags can be a great project for student and community groups. These bags are kept at the food shelves and resource centers and given out to participants by request. Here are some suggestions, though you’re welcome to add a personal touch.
BIRTHDAY BAGS
Provide Families with an easy celebration-in-a-bag for a child’s birthday. Get creative by using decorative party bags, adding party favors, or giving each bag a different theme (like cartoon characters, sports, boy/girl, etc.).
• Boxed cake mix, Shelf-stable frosting, Candles
• Festive paper plates & napkins
SNACK BAGS
These are used for supplementary meals including afternoon snacks. We request your donation include or focus on reasonably healthy options.
• Juice Box/beverage
• Chips or pretzels
• Granola bar
• Fruit snacks or dried fruit
TOILETRY BAGS
Intended for community members in crisis who need help meeting basic needs for personal care. They can be put into plastic bags or toiletry bags.
• Toothbrush and Toothpaste
• Comb or Brush
• Deodorant
• Band-Aids & Sanitizing Wipes
• Socks
• Small Bottled Water
• Emergency Thermal Blanket
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.