MINNEAPOLIS (September 24, 2024) – Greater Twin Cities United Way (United Way) announced today the relaunch of its successful Full Lives food security initiative. First started in 2017, Full Lives is unique in its focus on food systems as a driver of lasting food security. Full Lives partners with innovative nonprofits across the Twin Cities, including food shelves, urban farms, and food entrepreneurship incubators, to strengthen community resources and collectively establish a regional food system that ensures everyone has access to the food they need to thrive.
This new, expanded phase of Full Lives widens the initiative’s scale to focus on food systems regionally throughout the Greater Twin Cities area. As part of the launch, United Way is granting $1.2 million in funding to four nonprofit collaborative efforts, each organized among multiple organizations working in food security throughout the region.
Together, United Way and its partners will work to promote local agriculture, support entrepreneurs, foster new food businesses and improve food access throughout the Greater Twin Cities. Bringing these organizations closer together and building new relationships among them is central – and unique – to United Way’s approach to food security in the Twin Cities.
The four funded nonprofit collaborations are:
"Through the impact we’ve made with initiatives like ‘Career Academies’ and ‘80x3: Resilient from the Start,’ Greater Twin Cities United Way has shown an ability to tackle our communities’ biggest challenges with creativity and collaboration," says John Wilgers, President & CEO of Greater Twin Cities United Way. "Our expanded Full Lives initiative builds on these successes, making significant new investments to grow our regional food system."
In addition to grant funding, the initiative also provides nonprofit partners with training and peer-to-peer learning in a Community of Practice. The first round of partners will receive funding through December 2025. This investment supplements United Way’s ongoing multiyear Community Investments funding, which supports organizations focused on immediate and urgent food needs. Applications are now open for the 2025-28 Community Investment funding cycle.
“Since our earliest days, United Way has supported organizations in the Greater Twin Cities who are helping our neighbors get the food they need,” says Shannon Smith Jones, Senior Vice President of Community Impact at Greater Twin Cities United Way. “Full Lives brings together key players in our regional food system, creating new structures for collaboration and coordination to ensure families consistently have access to nutritious food.”
Full Lives is developed with input and feedback from the community and initiative partners. The Full Lives Advisory Group includes leaders of nonprofit and government entities with personal and professional experience navigating our region’s food system. Current Advisory Group members include:
Full Lives is made possible through significant collaboration with local philanthropic leaders. Leading corporate supporters in the expansion of Full Lives include Securian Financial and Land O’Lakes, Inc.
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About Greater Twin Cities United Way: Greater Twin Cities United Way unites changemakers, advocates for social good and develops solutions to address the challenges no one can solve alone to create a community where all people thrive, regardless of income, race or place. For more information, visit gtcuw.org and follow us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram and LinkedIn.
