About Groveland Food Shelf

Our Mission

"Feed the Hungry"

We believe people in need should not live in hunger.

 

Groveland Food Shelf is a non-profit providing emergency groceries for those in need. We also support the MCTC Food Pantry (at Minneapolis College).

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About 5,000 clients are served per month and over 150,000 pounds of food are distributed.

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News & Resources​

 

Groveland embraces a client choice model, which means as much as possible we allow guests to select the food they want in the quantities they need. We do limit some items to make sure there is enough for all.

In 2024 we changed our T/Th hours to afternoon to serve those that couldn't shop in the mornings. During very hot or cold days, we now are able to lets guests into the building up to 30 minutes before we open. We are grateful for Plymouth Church to allow us to do this for our guests. 

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In 2026 we will be updating our facility with new shelving and improved signage to make the shopping experience easier. 

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Proud owners of a Temperature Controlled Van!

 

A major contributor to the ability for Groveland to provide fresh produce, meat, dairy and flowers (yes, flowers!) to our clients is the abundant donations we receive from local grocery stores, restaurants and bakeries. The purchase of a temperature controlled van has enabled us to increase the number of locations we pick up and amount of food we take in. Our van is presently in use 6 days a week! 

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Collaboration with Downtown Community Meals

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Groveland is in collaboration with several downtown churches, which for over 40 years have run a community meal program on Sunday evenings. Groveland supplies each church with additional canned goods, breads and some produce for distribution at the meals. 

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Our Supporters

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Churches

Major support and governance are provided by:

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• First Christian Church

• Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church

• Plymouth Congregational Church

• St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral

• Westminster Presbyterian Church

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Donated Food

Regular donations are excess food are provided by:

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• Aldi Grocery Store

• Cub Foods Supermarket

• The Cheese Shop

• Honey and Rye Bakehouse

• KFC

• Kowalski’s Market 

• Patisserie Margo

• Seward Community Co-op

• SpyHouse Coffee

• Surdyk's Liquor & Cheese Shop

• Trader Joes (several)

• Twin Cities Co-op (The Wedge & Linden Hills Co-ops)

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Our Staff​

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We have a hard-working, caring staff led by Executive Director Sharon Abel and Food Shelf Manager, Bella. They can be contacted at the phone number shown below.​ We now have about 10 paid staff and many regular volunteers​ (both working in the food shelf and providing professional services) who are crucial to our operation. 

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History

Groveland Food Shelf began in the early 1970's by Plymouth Congregational Church Minister Howard Conn to address the hunger needs within the Plymouth Church community. In 1975 two Plymouth members began collecting donated groceries and distributing them to those in need. Their efforts proved successful, and a call for additional help was put out to many organizations in the area.

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Three churches responded to the invitations and have remained foundational  supporters— Westminster Presbyterian Church, First Christian Church and the St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral (Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church would join this collaborative effort several years later). These communities were experiencing similar issues regarding community hunger and wanted to take action. 

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Groveland Food Shelf still operates from Plymouth Congregational Church and receives governance from representatives of all five supporting churches. In the early days, the food shelf served 300 guests per MONTH. In 2025, the Food Shelf now serves over 4,000 guests per month, sometimes over 200 per DAY. Yet we still operate in the small less than 200 sq foot space!