Ralph Reeder Food Shelf

The Ralph Reeder Food Shelf and Community Resource Center is a Community Education Program of the Mounds View Public School District that was established in 1982. We provide food, basic needs and connections to other services for any school district family as well as any low-income food-insecure neighbor requesting assistance. Our primary service area includes the cities of New Brighton, Mounds View, Shoreview, Arden Hills, North Oaks, Roseville and Ramsey County St. Anthony. To meet the growing demand for services, we rely on the generosity of volunteers and on regular donations of dollars and food from area schools, churches, businesses, clubs and individuals. All donations are tax-deductible, Federal ID - 41-6008084.

Our Mission:
To provide emergency and supplemental food assistance to individuals and families who are food insecure and to connect them to other helpful resources in a manner that preserves their dignity, while they work towards stabilization.

Announcement

We will be closed:

November 28 - 29 (Reopening Monday, December 2)
December 24 - January 1 (Reopening Thursday, January 2)

If you are in need of immediate help, please call 211 to reach the United Way.

Get Help

Eligibility

We are located in Mounds View and provide food and other basic needs, as well as connections to other important programs and services. We primarily serve school district families in need and food insecure individuals living in the communities of New Brighton, Mounds View, Shoreview, North Oaks, Arden Hills, Northern Roseville, and a small section of Vadnais Heights.

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Food Shelf Pick-Up & Delivery Options

Shop Inside

Browse and select your own produce, dairy, protein, pantry staples, and personal care items based on your needs.

Fast Curbside Pickup

All of the above items are pre-packed for you and ready to go and include a handful of your special requests. Day and evening appointments are available for curbside pickups.

Delivery

Available for seniors and disabled adults as well as school referrals

A typical family of 4 receives approximately 100-125 pounds of non-perishable boxed and canned items, meats, milk, eggs, dairy, deli, fresh produce, bakery, hygiene, cleaning supplies, as well as baby diapers and wipes. You may come twice a month or more often if approved by a staff member. If you have dietary restrictions, we will try and accommodate you. Keep in mind, our inventory is constantly changing, so we cannot always provide access to specific items, but we will try our best to meet your needs.

How to Set Up an Appointment

By phone: 651-621-6280 (Español - 651-621-6284)
Online appointment request form - English
Online appointment request form - Español

Hours:

We are open Monday through Friday days and Tuesday evenings by appointment and you can choose between curbside appointments and inside shopping.

What to expect when you have a curbside fast track appointment:

Appointments are required.
You will receive a cart of pre-packaged groceries that contain boxed and canned foods, meats, milk, dairy, deli, hygiene and cleaning supplies as well as special requests that we receive from you. A typical family of four will receive approximately 7 days worth of food or about 100-125 pounds of food and non-food items.
You will be able to choose your own produce, bakery, and ethnic items.

What to expect when you shop inside:

Appointment is required and only one adult will be allowed to shop inside per family.
Please be prepared to fill out a short intake form if needed.
Each household will choose their own groceries and will receive approximately 7 days worth of nutritionally balanced food items including meat and milk, fresh produce and deli items, personal hygiene items, and cleaning supplies, along with additional resources and referrals to other low income programs and services. A typical family of four will receive approximately 100-125 pounds of food and personal care items.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Policy: Ralph Reeder Food Shelf/Mounds View Public Schools is accessible to people with physical disabilities, including people using wheelchairs, and persons who have learning, visual, hearing, or speech problems. We will serve all individuals who are eligible and are committed to making appropriate and reasonable accommodations in order to make our services accessible.

Non-Discrimination Statement The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities).

Donations/Ways You Can Help

What impact can a donation have?

Why are cash donations so valuable to a food shelf? A small donation can have a BIG impact when food shelves stretch their dollars by purchasing through their local food banks and vendors. For every $1.00, we can purchase up to 8 pounds of food.

Does your employer have a matching gifts program? Find out and stretch your donations further.

Donate Food

Non-perishable food items, hygiene and cleaning supplies, paper products, diapers and wipes, pet food.

Types of items we always need: Canned meats, canned meals, tuna and hamburger helpers, flavored rice, peanut butter, baking supplies, crackers, granola bars, cereal, toilet paper, laundry detergent, mayonnaise, ketchup, single-serve kid-friendly items including mac and cheese cups, juice boxes, pudding cups, fruit snacks, ravioli, cereal bars, fruit cups, oatmeal packets, and cereal cups, size 5 and 6 diapers and wipes.

Current List of Most Needed Items

Donations Drop Off Times: Mon. - Fri. 9 a.m. - noon. Donations should be placed in the SELF-SERVE donation barrels at the back entrance.

Large donations of 300 pounds or more can be scheduled by calling 651-621-6280.

We do NOT accept refrigerated or frozen items, expired food, used clothing and toys.We do accept trial sizes and open packages if the inner seal is still intact.

Donate Cash

Monetary donations will be used to address a variety of needs related to food insecurity, including:

Purchasing food and other essentials for food shelf participants.
Providing food services for children that include weekend snack packs, smart snacks, and summer food boxes.
Helping Mounds View Public Schools families who are struggling to pay school meal account balances.
Offering need-based scholarships for enrichment and supplemental learning opportunities.

Does your employer have a matching gifts program? Find out and stretch your donations further.

We are a program within Independent School District 621. All donations are tax-deductible, Federal ID - 41-6008084. Governmental Unit Letter

Checks payable to Ralph Reeder Food Shelf should be mailed to:

2544 Mounds View Blvd
Mounds View, MN 55112

Volunteer

The Ralph Reeder Food Shelf relies on the generosity of volunteers who help staff the food shelf on a daily basis, as well as the many additional volunteers and groups who help with our seasonal programs and coordinate food drives in the community.

Volunteer Login (Volgistics)

Volunteer Opportunities

Market Helpers
Sorting and stocking food donations
Packing food orders
Drivers - picking up food and bakery donations
Off-site Food Drive Organizer - Organizing food or cash drives for your school, church, business, civic group or neighborhood
Seasonal help – Free Farmer's Markets, March FoodShare, Operation Joy (December) and the Good Neighbor Back to School Project (August)
On-call help for various positions
Special projects and packing events - on-call

IMPORTANT - volunteer opportunities are currently weekdays and daytime hours only. Most positions involve standing and lifting. Not all positions are available at any given time. If you are interested, please fill out the form below. Thank you.

Individual interest form

Group volunteer form

Volunteer FAQ

Food and Fund Drive Information

General Information

We accept all non-perishable boxed and canned items, cleaning supplies, hygiene, personal care (including trial sizes), paper products, baby foods, diapers, wipes, garden produce, and pet food.

We DO NOT accept frozen or perishable items, used clothing, or expired foods. Thank you.

Drop-off Hours

Donations are accepted Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to Noon at our back entrance. For smaller donations, feel free to drop your bags in the brown donation bins. Larger donations, please ring the doorbell. Need an alternate time? Schedule a drop-off appointment at another time by calling 651-621-6280.

Extra Large Donations

If you have more than one vehicle full of food donations, please call ahead to schedule a time so that we are prepared to help when you arrive. Thank you.

Brochure

Current list of needs

Poster

News and Upcoming Events

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