Minnesota Mutual Aid - Community Organizations

Community Organizations

These are grassroots groups and mutual aid collectives working across Minnesota to meet real needs in real time. Some are long-standing organizations, others are small volunteer crews that formed around a specific neighborhood or crisis.

They support people with food, rent, transportation, legal funds, childcare, medical costs, harm reduction, and more. If you are looking to give regularly, volunteer, or plug into something ongoing, this is a good place to start.

Statewide / Regional Food Assistance

Clothing & Laundry Aid

Immigration Support in Minnesota

Pets

Statewide / Regional Food Assistance

Second Harvest Heartland – Connects you to food shelves and meal programs across Minnesota and western Wisconsin (search by ZIP).
The Food Group (formerly Hunger Solutions) – Offers food access programs, grocery markets, and a food shelf finder.
Minnesota Food HelpLine – Call 1-888-711-1151 for local food shelf listings, SNAP help, and referral support.

Minneapolis Area

Groveland Food Shelf

Groveland is one of Minneapolis’s longest-running food shelves, tucked inside Plymouth Congregational Church near the Walker Art Center. It serves individuals and families from across the city with fresh food, staples, and a calm, respectful intake process that prioritizes privacy and dignity.

Joyce Uptown Food Shelf

Joyce Uptown focuses on supporting people in dense, high-rent parts of South Minneapolis where food insecurity often hides in plain sight. Their pantry provides groceries, hygiene items, and seasonal supplies for neighbors navigating tight budgets, medical issues, or housing instability.

Sharing and Caring Hands (Loaves and Fishes)

Sharing and Caring Hands is both a food shelf and a daytime refuge in downtown Minneapolis. In addition to groceries, they offer hot meals, clothing, showers, mail service, and a place to rest. For many unhoused and extremely low-income neighbors, it functions as a daily anchor.

Community Emergency Service (CES) Food Market

CES operates a full “food market” where neighbors shop for free, choosing their own produce, meat, and pantry items. It serves South Minneapolis families dealing with eviction risk, job loss, or sudden emergencies and is often paired with housing and eviction-prevention support.

Good in the ‘Hood / Food in the Hood

Food in the Hood is part of the long-running Good in the ’Hood community network in North Minneapolis. Their food program centers Black-led community care, providing groceries and meals while building trust and connection in a neighborhood shaped by both resilience and disinvestment.

Grace Center for Community Life Food Shelf

The Grace Center food shelf serves Northeast Minneapolis with groceries and household essentials in a small, welcoming setting. It often supports seniors, recent immigrants, and working families who are balancing multiple jobs and still coming up short at the end of the month.

Minneapolis Central Church of Christ Food Distribution

This church-based food distribution runs regular grocery giveaways for neighbors near downtown and the south side. It’s simple, direct support: boxes of food, no long intake process, built for people who need help quickly and quietly.

Dream of Wild Health Indigenous Food Share

Dream of Wild Health provides free, culturally rooted food shares for Indigenous families and community members. Their distributions center traditional and healthy foods, along with seeds and education, as part of a broader effort to restore food sovereignty and heal the harm caused by displacement and poverty.

Community Bridge Minneapolis Pantry + Meals

Community Bridge offers both a food pantry and hot community meals for neighbors facing food insecurity and isolation. The space doubles as a connection point for other support, including referrals, seasonal assistance, and community events that reduce loneliness along with hunger.

St. Paul & East Metro

Merrick Community Services Food Shelf

Merrick runs a large, drive-through and in-person food shelf serving St. Paul’s East Side and nearby communities. Families can pick up fresh groceries, staples, and culturally relevant foods in a system designed to be fast, practical, and low-stress.

Vineyard Community Services – Fruit of the Vine Food Shelf

Fruit of the Vine is a small, relationship-driven food shelf rooted in the St. Paul community. It focuses on showing up for neighbors during hard weeks with groceries, basic household items, and a sense that someone noticed.

Neighborhood House Food Markets

Neighborhood House Food Markets is a community-run food access program serving neighbors across St. Paul. They operate free, market-style food shelves where families can choose fresh produce, pantry staples, and culturally familiar foods in a welcoming, low-barrier setting.

Zion Community Commons & Open Market MN

Zion Community Commons is a volunteer-run community space providing free food and essential supplies to neighbors in St. Paul. They offer “shelter-in-place” grocery packs with fresh food (three bags per household), along with diapers and basic consumables for families who need support. They partner with Open Market MN to host open, dignity-centered food distributions where people can take what they need, no questions asked.

Open Cupboard Food Shelf (Oakdale)

Open Cupboard serves families across Oakdale and the east metro with a large, well-stocked food shelf designed to feel more like a small grocery store than a line for help. Neighbors can choose from fresh produce, frozen items, and pantry staples, which makes it easier to plan real meals, not just get through the day.

Friends In Need Food Shelf (St. Paul Park)

Friends In Need is a small, community-rooted food shelf serving St. Paul Park and nearby towns. It’s the kind of place where volunteers know regulars by name and grocery bags often come with conversation.

South Metro / Suburban

360 Communities Food Shelves (Burnsville, Apple Valley, Rosemount, Lakeville, Farmington)

360 Communities operates a network of food shelves across the south metro, serving families who are juggling rising rents, childcare costs, and unpredictable work hours. Their shelves are designed to be practical and efficient, offering fresh groceries and staples while also connecting people to help with housing, domestic violence support, and financial counseling when needed.

PROP Food Shelf (Eden Prairie & Chanhassen)

PROP is a long-standing, community-supported food shelf serving the southwest metro. It functions more like a neighborhood grocery than a charity line, letting families choose what fits their diets, cultures, and cooking setups. It is especially relied on by seniors, single parents, and households quietly stretched thin by housing costs.

CROSS Services Food Shelf (Rogers / Maple Grove area)

CROSS serves families in the northwest suburbs who are often overlooked in conversations about food insecurity. Their food shelf and support programs help people weather job disruptions, medical bills, and sudden expenses in areas where public transportation is limited and help can be harder to reach.

Additional Tools & Maps

Minneapolis Food Shelf Map – City map of food shelves and distributions
Help Me Connect Food Shelves Search – Search hundreds of food shelf + distribution listings statewide

Immigration Support in Minnesota

Mutual Aid & Advocacy

Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC)
Volunteer-led grassroots group organizing for immigrant rights, deportation defense, and community education. Offers Know Your Rights support, campaigns, and ways to get involved.
Minnesota Interfaith Coalition on Immigration (ICOM)
Faith-based volunteers supporting immigrants and refugees through accompaniment, court support, advocacy, and community care.
Unidos MN
Grassroots organization focused on immigrant, racial, and economic justice. Works on community organizing, leadership development, and policy advocacy across Minnesota.
Immigrant Defense Network (IDN)
Statewide coalition of community, legal, labor, and faith groups coordinating rapid response, referrals, and immigrant defense efforts.

Legal Assistance & Immigration Services

Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM)
Provides free immigration legal services to low-income immigrants and refugees, including removal defense, asylum, and family-based cases.
International Institute of Minnesota
Offers refugee resettlement, citizenship help, immigration services, English classes, and employment support.
Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid – Immigration Law Project
Provides legal representation and advice in immigration cases for eligible clients across Minnesota.

Know Your Rights & Community Resources

COPAL – Communities Organizing Latine Power and Action
Provides Know Your Rights materials, advocacy, and community organizing for Latine and immigrant communities.
Minneapolis Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs
Connects residents to local immigration resources, legal help, and community services.

Clothing & Laundry Aid

The People’s Laundry MPLS (Minneapolis / Twin Cities)

A volunteer-run mutual aid effort providing free laundry assistance to neighbors in need throughout Minneapolis and the Twin Cities. Volunteers wash, dry, mend, and return clothing and linens for people who lack access to laundry services, helping reduce barriers to hygiene, dignity, and daily life. Learn more or make a donation via their website; service requests may open periodically.

https://thepeopleslaundrympls.com/

Pets

The Bond Between (Minneapolis — Pet Support)

Assists pets and pet owners affected by ICE detentions with foster care, emergency housing, and community resources.

https://www.thebondbetween.org