We’ve been patient with half measures long enough. Ending hunger is going to take all of us, all in.

Like a lot of leaders, I regularly get asked what keeps me up at night. I think a better question is, what wakes me up in the morning, before the sun, ready to dig in again and again with a sense of urgency. It’s not enough to worry my way through the nights, these tough times demand action from all of us. Over the last few years, we proved we can move the needle on hunger, but only together. Now is the moment to act, while new lessons and rare momentum are on our side.

Even if you know that times are tough—because you’re living it or seeing more of your neighbors live it—do you know that last year we saw 2 million more food shelf visits than the previous year? 2 million more visits in a state of 5 million.?I volunteered at food distributions across the metro and the summer was particularly hard. I saw a coworker from many years ago in line and quietly hoped she knew that I welcomed her and that there’s no shame in asking for and accepting help.

Hunger is an equity issue. Minnesota’s hunger rates divide sharply by race, with 25 percent of Black Minnesotans living with hunger. We also see a steep climb in hunger as you leave our cities. And that means that here in the agricultural north, many people who are proud to feed the world can’t afford to feed their own families.

Still, there’s so much reason for hope. During all the tumult of 2020 and 2021, we demonstrated that we can effectively tackle hunger, it’s just going to take more of us, keeping our eyes steady on the effort.

Just a few years back we caught the attention of the country when we beat back a tidal wave of early-covid hunger. Together, we fed kids breakfast and lunch, wherever they were learning. We brought fresh veggies, milk and eggs to families, filling trunk after trunk of cars lined up for miles. We worked with restaurants to deliver freshly made meals to the unhoused and ill.?Together, we did the seemingly impossible again and again.

Then, at long last, we returned to work and school. We thought the crisis was over, so we turned away from hunger too quickly. We turned away precisely when times turned tougher than ever.

What we do next means everything.

I say we get back to work. At our food bank we’re getting more sophisticated with data to map hunger, meeting the need in real time. That means we’re getting more of the right food right where it’s needed most.?We’re planning food shelves on wheels, to ensure no zip code is deserted.

We’ll get ahead of hunger through the brand-new Second Harvest Heartland Care Center, a hunger hotline staffed by warm, knowledgeable, live navigators. Our Care Center staff recently served a grandpa in need of grocery help after his grandkids moved in with him. He got that help and the peace of mind that comes from knowing there’s food in the fridge.?

We can’t do any of it alone. What we learned over the last few years is that we end hunger together or not at all. Policymakers, business leaders and all Minnesotans with a little extra time-or-money to share, this is your call to join me. Be a part of a bold force of hunger-fighting neighbors. One that delivers today's needed meals and gets ahead of tomorrow’s hunger, before it hits. One that sets an audacious, shared goal to end hunger and tracks and shares progress as we work toward it.

Patience with hunger only allows the problem to linger and grow. It’s time for brave and shared work to ensure that on our watch, everyone is fed. Anything less is just talk.