GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. -- Some of the biggest Minnesota companies teamed up Tuesday night to fight hunger in the Twin Cities.
Cargill, General Mills and Land O' Lakes -- along with Greater Twin Cities United Way and the Twin Cities Hunger Initiative -- joined forces for a forum called: Hunger is Solvable: Be Part of the Solution.
About 500 people attended the event at the General Mills' World Headquarters in Golden Valley. Visitors could check out interactive booths and listen to a panel discussion about hunger in our community.
Organizers admit the issue is daunting: visits to local food shelves are up 40 percent this year over last, while donations are up only about 23 percent.
"It's a new face of hunger. Families and individuals that have previously been employed and have good, stable jobs, and now they're stuck with a pretty difficult situation. I think it's a good reminder for all of us that many of us are just a couple paychecks away from really having to use a foodshelf," said Frank Forsberg, Senior Vice President at Greater Twin Cities United Way.
But Forsberg and others at the forum cited several ways people can make a difference, including donating time or money to hunger relief agencies.
One other way of helping to relieve hunger in our community is through a joint project between KARE 11 and the Land O' Lakes Foundation. "Operation Co-operation" will automatically donate a dollar to hunger relief programs for every click.
(Copyright 2009 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)
