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Homegrown Minneapolis is a citywide initiative
expanding our community's ability to grow, process,
distribute, eat and compost more healthy, sustainable,
locally grown foods.
April 2025
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Food Waste Prevention Week
Minneapolis restaurants create 35,000 tons of food waste each year. That is 30% of the city’s total food waste. Homegrown Minneapolis is taking action to reduce wasted food at restaurants as part of implementing the Minneapolis Food Action Plan.
To celebrate Food Waste Prevention Week (April 7 – 13), Homegrown’s Wasted Food Action Team is hosting an event for restaurants owners, managers, and staff. Attendees will learn actionable strategies to make an impact. The event builds on our Prevent Wasted Food webpage for restaurants which includes videos in English, Spanish, and Somali. Topics include:
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How to prevent wasted food through low or no-cost changes
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How to donate food
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How to compost
We are excited to share that the City of Minneapolis was recently awarded a USDA Composting and Food Waste Reduction Cooperative Agreement. The funding will help us launch a new two-year project to deepen our work with restaurants. Participating restaurants will receive a variety of benefits, including training, coaching, and access to resources to make changes.
The Homegrown Minneapolis Food Council works to ensure an environmentally sustainable and socially just food system. These meetings are a great way to meet other community members and learn more about the work happening within our local food system. Every meeting is also accompanied by a food theme and attendees are welcome to bring food to share with others.
When: In-person meeting on Wednesday, April 9 starting at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Powderhorn Park, 3400 15th Ave. S.
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Jenny Kedward, Hennepin County’s Food Waste Prevention Specialist, will speak about their soon-to-be-released food waste prevention plan.
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We will provide feedback on criteria for a Request for Proposals to disseminate $50,000 in City funds to assist with “community-focused ownership and operation of an urban farm in an underserved area”.
Homegrown Minneapolis hosts action teams which help us make progress on the goals set out in the Minneapolis Food Vision. Anyone interested in helping to build a more local, equitable, and sustainable food system can get involved!
See below for upcoming action team meetings:
Food Skills Action Team – April 14
When: Monday, April 14, 2 - 3 p.m.
What: We will continue discuss action focused on a food skills organization inventory and potential collaboration opportunities.
Wasted Food Action Team – April 21
When: Monday, April 21, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
What: We will debrief the ‘86 Food Waste’ event and begin planning for a similar fall event.
Urban Agriculture Action Team – April 22
When: Tuesday, April 22, 6 – 7 p.m.
What: We will brainstorm existing urban agriculture resources to help us understand gaps and how the resource hub could address them.
Urban agriculture and the fight for food justice
Black women have long been at the heart of agriculture, from ancestral sharecropping to modern-day urban farming movements. Princess Titus, co-founder of Appetite for Change, a local nonprofit that uses food as a tool to promote health, wealth, and social change, is a leader dedicated to reclaiming land, food and power for her community.
For more information visit Spokesman Recorder
Klobuchar, Colleagues Press USDA to Not Take Food Away from Food Banks and Hungry Families
Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, led 25 of her colleagues in pressing the U.S. Department of Agriculture for more information about the cancellation of previously-approved funding through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) for food banks and other emergency food providers. This would take food away from hungry Americans already facing high grocery prices and hurt American farmers who are being squeezed by tariffs and other cuts to domestic markets.
For more information read the press release
Confusion over food date labels has grown, according to new national survey
Researchers from the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and ReFED published updated 2025 findings from a survey that was first conducted in 2016. The 2025 survey found that 43% of U.S. consumers say they always or usually discard food near or past the label date (up from 37% in 2016), and 88% say they do so at least occasionally (up from 84% in 2016). The findings are significant, because most food remains safe to eat past the printed date according to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, and it's particularly relevant at a time when food prices are elevated.
Seed circles – April 8
Join Plant Grow Share to sort and repack seeds to share with the community.
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When: April 8, 5 – 7 p.m.
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Where: Hosmer Library, 347 E. 26th St.
To learn more about Plant Grow Share, visit their website
Spring garden seed giveaway – April 14
Stop in the Elliot Park Recreation Center for some free seeds to start your garden! We'll have a variety of vegetables and flowers available. There is a limit of 10 packets per person, and we'll give out seeds until they're gone. Happy planting!
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When: April 14, 3 – 7:30 p.m.
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Where: Elliot Park Recreation Center, 1000 E. 14th St.
For more information, visit the event page
Square foot gardening – April 19
Learn how to grow in small spaces, in the Hosmer Library Garden!
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When: April 19, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
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Where: Hosmer Library, 347 E. 26th St.
To learn more about Plant Grow Share, visit their website
Gather, Graze, & Grow – April 19
You’re invited to celebrate Midtown Farmers Market's 2025 season. Gather, Graze, & Grow is a unique opportunity to taste local flavors, meet your favorite vendors and neighbors, and enjoy special musical performances, all in effort to raise funds for the market.
Proceeds of the fundraiser will be used to enrich the market through programming, equipment, and marketing efforts. By attending the fundraiser and donating, you can help protect community access to fresh, local food and strengthen diverse arts and music programming in the surrounding neighborhood.
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When: April 19, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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Where: Modus Locus Expansion, 3338 University Ave. SE # 220
For more information and to register for the event, visit their website
Plant sale – May 10
Plant Grow Share is hosting a plant sale for low-cost, non-GMO plants to start in your home garden.
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When: May 10, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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Where: Sabathani Community Center (parking lot), 310 East 38th Street
Food Matters for Health Professionals – deadline April 10
Due to generous donor funding, the Bakken Center is offering a limited number of full scholarship spots for our Food Matters for Health Professionals program beginning on Thursday, April 10 at 5:30 p.m. on a first come-first served basis. Please contact the Baken Center's Community Relations office at mindprg@umn.edu to request your unique discount code today.
This program will be held online via Zoom.
For more information visit UMN
2025 Global Climate Challenge – deadline April 17
This funding source will provide $10,000 in unrestricted funding and access to additional financing in the form of grants and investments, for solutions that leverage technology to address any aspect of the climate crisis that:
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Drive a shift towards a low-carbon and nutritious global food system
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Build zero-carbon and resilient cities; Enable rapid deployment of distributed renewable energy and adaptation measures
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Strengthen a low-carbon blue economy
For more information visit MIT
Public Health Community Institute: Building Public Health Capacity in Minneapolis
The Public Health Community Institute (PHCI), organized by the Minneapolis Health Department, aims to build and strengthen community partners’ ability to support public health in Minneapolis.
Who can join: Community members interested in learning how to improve public health services in their workplace, neighborhood, or community. This program focuses on those facing the biggest health challenges.
Program details: The PHCI will train Minneapolis residents on the basics of public health. Participants will:
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Learn how to create and evaluate strategies to reduce health disparities in their communities
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Get trainings on:
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Grant writing
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Strategic planning
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Financial management
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Managing projects
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Advocating for your community
- Participants can apply for funding to lead a public health project in their community after completing the program and two additional trainings
For more information register with Smartsheet
Questions about PHCI can be sent to April.Graves@minneapolismn.gov
Upcoming trainings:
Preventing Chronic Disease in the Community – April 17
Participants who attend this training will understand what chronic disease prevention is and describe the primary strategies to chronic disease prevention. They will also learn about the Health Departments approach to working with community-based organizations to prevent chronic disease.
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When: April 17, 3 – 5 p.m.
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Where: North Regional Library, 1315 Lowry Ave.
To register for this event visit Smartsheet
May 2025 Public Health Community Institute (PHCI) Core Competencies Trainings
Required training to be eligible for funding through the PHCI for demonstration projects.
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May 6, 5 – 7 p.m. Public Health and Health Equity 101
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May 13, 5 – 7 p.m. Program Development, Design, Mapping and Implementation
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May 20, 5 – 7 p.m. Evaluation
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May 29, 5 – 7 p.m. Budgeting for Success
To register for this event visit Smartsheet
Hennepin County has three Green Partners funding opportunities
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Environmental Action Program – deadline April 3
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The Environmental Action Program motivates adults to make environmental changes at home and on-the-go. Applicants must incorporate research-based behavior change strategies into project plans to motivate people to take specific environmental actions and incorporate environmental changes into their lifestyle.
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Youth Environmental Leadership Program – deadline April 17
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The Youth Environmental Leadership Program encourages environmental leadership and/or exposure to green jobs for young people in high school up to age 24. Project activities should encourage an environmental stewardship mindset that lasts beyond the program.
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Youth Environmental Education Program – deadline May 1
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The Youth Environmental Education Program engages youth in elementary and middle school in environmental education and outdoor nature experiences. Project activities engage youth in learning about the environment to develop their awareness and increase their knowledge of environmental issues and solutions.
For more information visit Hennepin County
Minnesota Green is now open for the 2025 growing season
Community and public garden spaces in Minnesota (schools, churches, etc.) are invited to sign up for a yearly membership to Minnesota Green, which provide access to seed and plant donations for a full growing season. There are packages for metro and greater Minnesota gardens, as well as a lower-cost seeds-only subscription.
For more information visit Northern Gardener
Share your story
The City of Minneapolis is partnering with a national non-profit, StoryCorps, to record and uplift stories about:
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The murder of George Floyd
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The unrest that followed
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What those events meant for you, the City, the country and the world
This archive will document these events and their impact. It will help the city create a more equitable future.
Market Day Staff: Neighborhood Roots – deadline April 15
Neighborhood Roots is hiring Market Day Staff to support operations at the Southwest, Kingfield, and Nokomis Farmers Markets. Day staff gain valuable knowledge of and connections to our local food system by serving thousands of customers and over 100 local farmers and small businesses.
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Specific tasks include set up/break down, assisting with programming, cashiering, and more. Staff are needed May through October for Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday market coverage.
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Scheduling is flexible and applicants do not need to have availability for all market locations/days.
For more information visit Neighborhood Roots
Development Manager: Every Meal – deadline April 19
The Development Manager, Individual Donor Relations will play a key role in Every Meal’s fundraising and relationship-building efforts to expand our impact on the fight against child hunger. This person is a leader on the Development team and is responsible for creating and implementing a fundraising plan for individual giving, including but not limited to: annual giving, mid-level giving, donor acquisition, and event planning.
For more information visit Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
Seeding Power Fellowship – deadline April 30
The Seeding Power Fellowship is designed to reduce isolation, practice communication and collaboration, and deepen relationships. It provides not only leadership development, but critical movement infrastructure to build a responsive strategy and create a just food system.
For more information visit Job Boards
Farm Apprenticeship: Open Arms
The Seasonal Farm Apprenticeship is a program that provides hands-on training and learning opportunity about organic farming practices, agricultural techniques, and volunteer management. Participants work directly on different farms, gaining practical experience in tasks such as planting, harvesting, and the CSA program. The position requires 15-20 hours a week for 15 weeks minimum.
For more information visit Open Arms
Seasonal Farm Educator: Little Earth
Little Earth is seeking a Seasonal Farm Educator to facilitate the daily Youth Farm Program and assist with the weekly farmstand. This position runs May through Sept. Please send the resume and cover letter to jobs@learth.org
Want more good news? So do we! Send us the good news you see across the food system and we’ll share it here!
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Climate Smart Food Systems program has had its $200 million grant from the EPA restored after being frozen in January.
Why Did Elon Musk go after bunkers full of seeds?
In a climate-controlled bunker in an unremarkable building in rural Aberdeen, Idaho, there are shelves upon shelves of meticulously labeled boxes of seed. This vault is home to many of the United States’ more than 62,000 genetically unique lines of wheat, collected over the past 127 years from around the world.
Though dormant, these seeds are alive. But unless they are continually cared for and periodically replanted, the lines will die, along with the millenniums of evolutionary history that they embody.
Homegrown News
We send information on food systems topics of interest to residents, employees, advocates, and eaters in Minneapolis. If this newsletter was forwarded to you, sign up to receive your own copy!
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