FFEN - Foundation for Essential Needs

Reminder for food shelf leaders - Haven't signed up to get your Strategic Food Sourcing Report?
This is a low lift, no cost way to:
* Understand your product mix by category
* See exactly how dollars are being spent
* Identify opportunities to do even more with less
Because feeding communities well means stretching every dollar for the most impact FFEN is here to walk through data for your food shelf site, celebrate successes, identify opportunities and set goals.
🗓️ Today is the day to sign up to receive your individual report which covers January–June 2026.
Email [email protected] to claim yours!
Want to understand more? Go to www.ffen.org/resource-hub and click on Strategic Food Sourcing.

For five years, Katie Bull has been the person food shelf leaders turn to when they want to do their work better.

As FFEN's Director of Programs, Katie shapes the training and resources that help food shelves across Minnesota and Western Wisconsin operate with greater skill and impact. She leads virtual trainings — from FFEN Essentials onboarding to specialized leadership cohorts — and oversees FFEN's signature Strategic Food Sourcing Report & Consultation, a service that reaches more than 200 food shelves every year. Just as often, she’s on site at food shelves, walking the floor with food shelf leaders, observing operations up close.

"Katie has excellent observation skills and asks good questions that help food shelf leaders identify gaps in their operations that are holding them back," said Kate Burggraff, FFEN Executive Director. "She's a great listener with a creative, can-do spirit — and she's always focused on how changes at a food shelf impact the end shopper."

Every training Katie leads, every consultation she guides, every food shelf she visits — it's all in service to the person pushing a cart through the door, hoping to find what their family needs.

When you give to Foundation for Essential Needs (FFEN), you're not just funding food — you're funding smarter food systems.

Every 6 months, FFEN provides food shelves with a free Strategic Food Sourcing Report that helps them:
* Understand their product mix by category
* See exactly how dollars are being spent
* Identify opportunities to do even more with less

Because feeding communities well means stretching every dollar for the most impact.

🗓️ Food shelves: You have 10 days left to sign up for your report covering January–June 2026. Deadline is June 15th.
Email [email protected] to claim yours!

Checkout photos from this year's Reshaping Hunger Relief Breakfast! Didn't attend? Click anyway and get the scoop on how FFEN is helping food shelves lead through disruption: https://ffen.org/blog/built-for-this-moment-ffen-helps-food-shelves-lead-through-disruptions/

Attention Food Shelf leaders - we are offering two free virtual training opportunities in the coming weeks!

FRESH FOOD FIRST: Optimizing Food Shelf Operations is designed for those managing the day-to-day responsibilities of a food shelf, providing actionable guidance to improve efficiency and impact. Join us at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 9. Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/bcA2RJZXSFadlS3n2qN_Lw #/registration

PRODUCE POSSIBLE: Fresh Ideas for Food Shelves
As Minnesota's growing season begins, explore creative and practical strategies for getting more fresh produce into the hands of shoppers. Together, we’ll discuss innovative sourcing partnerships, distribution approaches, shopper engagement ideas, and operational practices that can help increase access while reducing barriers and food waste. This conversation is designed to spark ideas, share peer wisdom, and highlight real-world strategies being used by food shelves and community partners.

Join us at 11:30 a.m. June 23, Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/XcmVhUJZShCAWPlHLejg9w #/registration

Thank you to our partners at Sovran, Inc. for sponsoring this year's Reshaping Hunger Relief Breakfast.

Faegre Drinker has been a long-time sponsor of FFEN's Reshaping Hunger Relief Breakfast. Thank you for your continued commitment to strengthening food shelves in communities across Minnesota and Western Wisconsin.

Thank you to Land O'Lakes, Inc. for support of this year's Reshaping Hunger Relief Breakfast. Land O'Lakes, Inc. said by investing in FFEN they are able to impact hundreds of food shelves across the state. The impact of FFEN’s work includes large, community center-based food shelves as well as those in small towns run solely by volunteers.

“Rural communities are especially important to Land O’Lakes, a farmer-owned cooperative,” said Amy Podlesak, senior community impact manager with Land O'Lakes Inc. “FFEN’s work is especially important to rural food shelf leaders, who might feel more isolated.”

“We want to be sure those food shelves feel supported. We want them to have an organization to go to for questions and have a network they can tap into so they don’t feel alone in facing the challenges they might have.”

Are you a food shelf leader looking for ways to build a budget that supports day-to-day operations as well as long-term impact?

FFEN is hosting Project Budgeting for Nonprofits (with Propel Nonprofits) and we'd love for you to join us for this free session!

Explore practical approaches to project-based budgeting. This training will help you better understand how to align program goals with financial planning, manage resources effectively, and build budgets.

Strong budgeting practices are essential for sustainable programs and effective decision-making.

Register now for this training which will be held:
May 26, 2026
11:30am–1:00pm CST

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Sustain and Nourish. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting. Sustain & Nourish is a monthly virtual session designed for staff and volunteers leading the day-to-day work of a food shelf. Each session focuses on a timely topic impacting food shelves across Minnesota and provides practical tools, insights, and peer support to strengthen shopper-focused operatio...

Check out this Newsweek article where FFEN contributes as a Minnesota source and thought leader outlining the very real impacts of SNAP changes on food shelves.

SNAP Update: New Data Shows Numbers Falling Across US SNAP participation is dropping nationwide. Food banks may not be able to pick up those who have fallen off the program.