Twin Cities food shelves add lockers for after-hours food pickup

For many people, getting help isn’t always the challenge. Getting there before the doors close is.

That’s why a growing number of food shelves across the Twin Cities are turning to refrigerated food lockers, allowing people to pick up groceries outside traditional business hours. Programs in north Minneapolis, Anoka and Eden Prairie are among the latest efforts aimed at making food more accessible as organizations report growing demand and changing demographics among the people seeking assistance.

At Shiloh Cares Food Shelf in north Minneapolis, the “Hope Vault” opened Oct. 21 and provides food and other resources around the clock.

“It offers you can come here and get the food and resources that you need 24/7 without any barriers,” said Jalilia Abdul-Brown, executive director of Change Starts with Community.

Abdul-Brown said the lockers were created to address food access c...