March 13, 2026
Dear Church,
Every March, Minnesota’s focus turns towards hunger and hunger relief with MN Foodshare Month. This is an initiative to help stock our food shelves during a season where donations often dip, and Grace has participated for many years – and we are again!
This is in addition to our ongoing collaboration with BRAVELY to deliver household goods to families still sheltering in place, or who have been impacted emotionally, spiritually, or financially from ICE activities.
We’ve been thinking of this as a marathon, not a sprint, and our local organizations who were already working on hunger relief – before SNAP cuts, and before federal occupation – know the reality that this is ongoing work. And that every time we contribute to supporting our neighbors, we are building systems of care where all are fed, and housed, and can access what they, and we, need to live well.
For the next two Sundays, we’ll collect food and monetary donations in the Narthex before and after worship (March 22 and 29), then deliver the donations to the Apple Valley Food Shelf, housed in Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church.
However you are able to participate in MN Foodshare Month – whether that’s donating, volunteering, learning more about the hunger statistics in our state, or around the world – know that this is sacred work. Knowing our neighbors, learning about their needs, and building practices into our lives that help shape the world we want the next generations to inherit is one way we live out Christ’s love in the world.
-Pr. Reed
Every Friday, we send an email to the congregation and any others who would like to learn more about the Grace community. The last four Friday emails are posted below.