Here at the Table of Plenty: A Reflection and Action on Food Insecurity

Did you catch the late-September headlines about Hamburger Helper? I hadn’t, until my husband mentioned it, and that small nudge sent me down a rabbit hole. The brand, born in 1971 as a way to stretch a pound of meat into a family meal, has seen a meaningful surge in sales this year — 14.5% increase January through August compared to the same period last year.  A sign, perhaps, of households trading down to lower-cost staples as grocery budgets tighten?

The USDA’s Economic Research Service’s September 2025 Forecast indicated that “In 2025, overall food prices are anticipated to rise faster than the historical average rate of growth,” which has made grocery shopping feel heavier in our carts and on our hearts. While I do think it’s a good sign that the ERS predicts a slowdown in 2026: “…overall food prices are expected to increase more slowly than the historical average rate of growth,” I am still worried about now.

“Jobless claims spiked to their highest level since 2021 in early September. And, revised BLS data also showed 13,000 positions lost in June, marking the country's first month of negative job growth since December 2020,” explained a September article. I talked about the labor market in September as well in my article about interest rates, inflation and AI here if you’d like to dig deeper into that.

So, what? I can tell you locally, the impact is very real and very immediate. My mother, who volunteers with St. Vincent de Paul in Owatonna, told me last week that their Tuesday meal service on September 30 served 210 meals — a new record for the community of 26,000, where four different churches coordinate weekly evening meals for neighbors in need. For context, they served an average of 168 meals a week in non-holiday week’s last December and 184 average per week in June. This kind of turnout tells me a few things. First – Praise the Lord! Four churches and an enormous number of volunteers are fulfilling a need in Owatonna 4 times per week! Now that is faith in action, plain and simple.

Second, it means locally, the need is real and growing.

I bet most of us have at least one thing we can do about it. If you’ve met me, you’ve probably figured out I’m a pretty action-oriented person. So, here goes – first a short list of ways you might be able to help. And second, a list of resources food shelves around our diocese.

How You Can Help – Practical Steps

• Bring nonperishables to your parish food drive or drop them at a local food shelf.
• Volunteer an hour or two at a meal site or food shelf; many can use help with distribution and packing.
• Give a financial gift to your parish’s outreach ministry or to Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota.
• Sponsor a meal at a local soup kitchen or parish pantry.
• Talk with your parish social ministry about starting or expanding a diaper, baby formula, or senior-friendly items drive.
• Pray for those who are hungry and for those who serve them
• Invite a friend to take action with you.

How You Can Get Help – Local Food Resources

If you or someone you know needs food today, please see the resource list below for local options. We suggest you call before going to confirm hours.

• FreeFood.org — Find your nearest food shelf quickly
• Albert Lea — Salvation Army Food Pantry
  Address: 302 Court Street, Albert Lea, MN 56007.
  Phone: (507) 373-8776
• Austin — Salvation Army / Austin Area Food Shelf (Salvation Army Austin Corps)
  Address: 409 1st Ave NE, Austin, MN 55912.
  Phone: (507) 437-4566
• Fairmont – Hope Shop at St. John Vianney’s Parish Office
  Address: 901 S Prairie Avenue, Fairmont, MN 56031
  Phone: 507-235-5535
• Mankato — ECHO Food Shelf
  Address: S. Front St., Mankato, MN 56001
  Phone: (507) 345-7477
• Owatonna — Owatonna Community Pathways
  Address:155 Oakdale St., Owatonna, MN 55060
  Phone: (507) 455-2991
• Rochester — Rochester Area Foundation / Channel One Food Shelf partner listings (multiple locations)
  Address: 131 35^th Street SE, Rochester, MN 55904.
  Phone: (507) 287-2010
• Winona — Winona Volunteer Services Food Shelf
  Address: 402 E. 2nd St., Winona, MN 55987.
  Phone: (507) 452-5591; email: info@winonavs.org.
• Worthington — Manna Food Pantry
  Address: 230 Clary Street, Worthington, MN 56187
  Phone: (507) 329-1951
   

A Reflection

Jesus’ words in Matthew 25 remind us that feeding the hungry is feeding Christ Himself. “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’  Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:35-40

These local stories — the full meal lines, the volunteer hands, the parish kitchen opening its doors — are not statistics to me; they are gospel lived. If this nudges your heart to donate a jar of peanut butter, offer an hour of time, or speak to your parish leaders about long-term support for neighbors in need, then we have done something holy together.

Take the Next Step

If you find this useful, please share it: post it in your parish bulletin or website, forward it to a friend, share on Facebook, or print it off and leave the list of food resources flipped open at the library or on a park bench. If you have a story to share about what your parish is doing to help locally, please let us know! We’d love to hear and share it with others! info@catholicfsmn.org.